Xavier de Maistre

Born in Chambéry in 1763, Xavier de Maistre was a soldier as well as a writer, and much of his life was shaped by military service. He came from an aristocratic Savoyard family and was the younger brother of Joseph de Maistre.

He is remembered above all for Voyage autour de ma chambre (A Journey Round My Room), a witty and inventive work he wrote after being confined following a duel. The book turns a single room into a whole world, and its humor, intimacy, and originality helped give it a lasting place in French literature.

De Maistre later served in Russia and spent many years in Saint Petersburg. Alongside his most famous work, he wrote fiction and shorter prose marked by elegance, warmth, and a taste for the unexpected.