author
Paul Labbé
1867–1943
A pioneering French linguist, ethnologist, and travel writer, he brought the peoples and landscapes of Russia and Siberia to a wider European audience. His vivid accounts combine firsthand exploration with cultural observation, making them compelling windows onto Central and East Asia at the turn of the twentieth century.
2 Audiobooks
Un bagne russe: l'île de Sakhaline
by Paul Labbé
Les Russes en Extrême-Orient
by Paul Labbé
About the author
Born in Arpajon on January 23, 1867, Paul Labbé became one of the earliest French travelers fluent in Russian to explore Russia’s European and Asian territories. Between 1896 and 1908, he traveled through the Urals, the Kirghiz steppes, Siberia, Sakhalin, Turkestan, Mongolia, and Manchuria, studying local languages, customs, and religious practices. He also gathered objects, photographs, and other material for French museums, including the Musée Guimet and the Musée d’Ethnographie du Trocadéro.
Labbé wrote widely about his journeys, including Un Bagne russe, Les Russes en Extrême-Orient, Sur les grandes routes de Russie, and Chez les lamas de Sibérie. His work earned several honors from the Académie française, including the Prix Montyon, the Prix Fabien, and the Prix de la langue française. He later served as secretary-general of the Alliance française from 1919 to 1935, helping expand the study of French abroad, before his death in Carolles on January 13, 1943.