François Mauriac is a key figure in French literary, spiritual and political history of the 20th century. Brought up in a family with strong right-wing leanings, he went off the beaten track to adopt positions that were the very opposite of his original milieu. A devout Christian, he was constantly torn between his family life, in line with his religious practice, and his “unspeakable” temptations. In his own words, and despite his great literary acclaim, he was “the most insulted writer in France”. A wealthy bourgeois, covered in honors and a friend of the powerful, Mauriac had the misfortune of being a maverick in spite of himself. His vast writings bear witness to this.

Photo ©Famille Mauriac et Centre François Mauriac de Malagar