François Mauriac

Mauriac’s novels, journalism, poetry and plays made him one of the most influential 20thC French writers. He and Perse met as aspiring writers in Bordeaux. Proust and Cocteau were met at Daudet’s widow’s salon, Mauriac celebrating the success of his first volume of poetry. He idolised Jammes, and supported the young Sollers. Claudel, Gide and Maritain all corresponded for decades, as did Paulhan, who became a real friend through their work for the Resistance (Greene, Buber, Sartre and Ponge were also correspondents). Mauriac knew Colette well, was close to Green, and persuaded Wiesel to write about his holocaust experiences.