author
Paul Gsell
1870–1947
A French writer and art critic with a deep interest in artists and ideas, he is remembered for lively books on figures such as Rodin and Anatole France. His work also reached into early speculative fiction, showing a curious mind that moved easily between criticism, biography, and imagination.
1 Audiobook
Les gosses dans les ruines: Idylle de guerre
by Paul Gsell
About the author
Born in Meudon on January 24, 1870, Paul Gsell was a French writer and art critic. French library and archive sources identify him as an author and critic of art, and the French Wikipedia entry notes that he later finished his professional career as Inspector General of the Libraries of Paris and the Seine.
Gsell wrote widely about artists and literary figures. He is especially associated with books connected to Auguste Rodin and Anatole France, and bibliographic records show a substantial body of work across art, criticism, and related subjects. Reference sources also note that part of his lasting interest for modern readers comes from a speculative work, later translated as The Man Who Could Read Minds.
He died in Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse on April 19, 1947. Although he is not a household name today, his books preserve a vivid link to the artistic and literary culture of France in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.