author
Jean-Pierre Camus
1584–1652
A restless and prolific 17th-century French writer, he brought together devotional writing, preaching, and storytelling in a way that still feels unusual. Best known as a bishop and close friend of St. Francis de Sales, he left behind an enormous body of spiritual works and fiction.
1 Audiobook
The Spirit of St. Francis de Sales
by Jean-Pierre Camus
About the author
Born in Paris in 1584, Jean-Pierre Camus was a French bishop, preacher, and author whose career moved between the church and the literary world. He became bishop of Belley while still a young man, and his life is closely linked with St. Francis de Sales, who consecrated him and remained an important spiritual influence on him.
Camus was remarkably productive. Sources describe him as the author of works of spirituality as well as fiction, including moral tales and novels, and his writing helped blur the line between religious instruction and imaginative literature. That combination makes him stand out among early modern French writers: he was not only a churchman who wrote, but a writer who used many forms to reach readers.
Later in life he resigned his bishopric and continued preaching and publishing. He died in Paris in 1652, leaving a large and varied body of work that keeps him interesting both to readers of religious history and to anyone curious about the early French novel.