author
Antoine de La Sale
A soldier, courtier, and teacher before he became a writer, this 15th-century French author brought court life to the page with sharp observation and a lively sense of character. He is best remembered for Petit Jehan de Saintré, a work often noted for its place in the development of French prose fiction.
1 Audiobook
Les quinze joyes de mariage Conforme au manuscript de la bibliothèque publique de Rouen
by Antoine de La Sale
About the author
Born in Provence around 1385 or 1386, Antoine de La Sale spent much of his early life in the service of the house of Anjou. He took part in military campaigns and traveled in Italy, experiences that later gave his writing a worldly, practical feel.
He began writing relatively late, in the late 1430s, after years at court. Along with his work as a courtier and educator, he wrote books that drew on chivalry, travel, and courtly behavior, combining instruction with humor and close attention to everyday manners.
Today, he is chiefly remembered for Petit Jehan de Saintré, his best-known work. Readers and critics have valued it for its vivid dialogue, its feel for social life at court, and its importance in the story of early French narrative prose.