Jean de La Fontaine

Born in Château-Thierry on July 8, 1621, and dying in Paris on April 13, 1695, Jean de La Fontaine became one of the most widely read French poets of his time. He is remembered above all for the Fables, a series of verse tales inspired in part by Aesop and other earlier traditions, which he reshaped into something distinctly his own.

La Fontaine had a varied life before and alongside his writing. He studied in Paris, held an office connected with waters and forests for a time, and moved in literary and aristocratic circles that helped support his work. His writing ranged beyond fables to include tales, poems, and libretti, but the Fables became his lasting achievement because they joined graceful style with clear storytelling and quiet satire.

What makes his work endure is the way it speaks to both children and adults at once. The animals are memorable, the lessons are never too heavy-handed, and the humor often hides a surprisingly sharp view of society. Centuries later, La Fontaine remains a central figure in French literature, and many of his lines and morals still live on in everyday culture.