Ernest Pérochon

Born in 1885 in Courlay, in western France, Ernest Pérochon began his working life as a schoolteacher before turning fully to writing. He won the Prix Goncourt in 1920 for Nêne, the novel that brought him lasting recognition.

His books are often linked to the countryside and to ordinary working lives, which gives them a grounded, human quality. He wrote not only novels but also poetry and children's literature, showing a range wider than his reputation alone might suggest.

Pérochon died in 1942 in Niort. Among his notable works is Les Gardiennes (1924), which helped keep his name alive for later generations of readers.