author
Charles-François Tiphaigne de La Roche
1722–1774
A little-known 18th-century French writer and physician, he wrote strange, imaginative tales that now feel surprisingly close to early science fiction. His work blends satire, philosophy, and speculative ideas in ways that still feel fresh.
1 Audiobook
Giphantia Or a View of What Has Passed, What Is Now Passing, and, During the Present Century, What Will Pass, in the World.
by Charles-François Tiphaigne de La Roche
About the author
Born in Montebourg in 1722, Charles-François Tiphaigne de La Roche studied medicine at the University of Caen and became a physician in 1744. Alongside that medical training, he developed a literary voice of his own, writing fiction that drew on the scientific curiosity and philosophical debates of the Enlightenment.
Much of his work appeared anonymously, and his books often mix fantasy, social satire, natural philosophy, and bold speculation. He is especially remembered for imaginative narratives such as Giphantie, which later readers have found striking for the way it seems to anticipate ideas that resemble photography and other modern inventions.
Tiphaigne de La Roche died in Montebourg in 1774. Though he never became one of the best-known names of French literature, he has continued to attract readers interested in the borderland between Enlightenment thought, the fantastic, and the early history of science fiction.