Claude Farrère

Born in Lyon on April 27, 1876, Claude Farrère was the pen name of Frédéric-Charles Bargone. He entered the French Naval Academy in 1894 and served as a naval officer before devoting himself more fully to writing, drawing on the places he had seen during his years at sea.

His fiction became known for its exotic settings, strong atmosphere, and interest in encounters between cultures and empires. Among his best-known books is Les Civilisés, which won the Prix Goncourt in 1905, and he remained a popular and prolific writer for decades.

Farrère was elected to the Académie française in 1935, a sign of the literary standing he achieved in France. He died in Paris on June 21, 1957, leaving behind novels, travel-influenced fiction, and historical adventures that still reflect the worldliness and tensions of his era.