René Boylesve

Born René Marie Auguste Tardiveau in La Haye-Descartes on April 14, 1867, he wrote under the name René Boylesve. He became known as a French writer and literary critic, and much of his work drew on the landscapes, manners, and memories of Touraine.

Reference works describe him as a novelist noted for social histories set in western France from about 1870 to 1900. His writing is often praised for its subtle observation of family life and society, with an elegant, quiet style that looks closely at character and feeling.

Boylesve’s reputation was strong enough in his lifetime that he was elected to the Académie française in 1918. He died in Paris on January 14, 1926, but he remains of interest to readers who enjoy reflective, carefully crafted French fiction from the years between realism and modernism.