Charles Wagner

Born in 1852 in Alsace, Charles Wagner was a French Reformed pastor and author whose writing reached far beyond the pulpit. He studied theology in Paris and Strasbourg and also attended the universities of Göttingen and Heidelberg before serving as a pastor.

Wagner is especially remembered for The Simple Life (La Vie simple), the book that made his name known to many readers in France and abroad. Its appeal came from its plainspoken encouragement to live with sincerity, moral purpose, and less attachment to the noise of modern life.

Alongside his ministry, he wrote inspirational and religious works that helped shape Protestant thought in his era. He died in 1918, but his gentle, practical voice has kept his best-known work in circulation for generations.