Raymond Radiguet

Born in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, near Paris, on June 18, 1903, he was a French novelist and poet whose talent appeared very early. Reference sources including Encyclopaedia Britannica and Wikipedia describe him as a precocious literary figure, and his short career quickly drew attention in Paris literary circles.

He is best known for Le Diable au corps (The Devil in the Flesh), published in 1923, a novel that caused a stir for its frank treatment of adolescent desire and became the work most closely associated with him. He also wrote Le Bal du comte d'Orgel, published after his death, which helped confirm that his promise was not a brief curiosity but the start of a remarkable body of work.

He died in Paris on December 12, 1923, at just 20 years old. Even with only a handful of years to write, he has remained one of the most memorable young voices in twentieth-century French literature.