André Gide: Encyclopedia II - André Gide - An established writer

André Gide - An established writer

In 1908 Gide helped found the literary magazine Nouvelle Revue française (The New French Review). In 1916 Marc Allégret, 16, becomes his lover. The two elope to London, in retribution for which his wifes burns all his correspondence, "the best part of myself," as he was later to comment. In 1918 he met Dorothy Bussy, who was his friend for over thirty years and who would translate all his works into English.

In the 1920s Gide became an inspiration for writers like Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. In 1923 he published a book on Fyodor Dostoyevsky; however, when he defended homosexuality in the public edition of Corydon (1924) he received widespread condemnation. He later considered this his most important work.

In 1923 he conceived a daughter named Catherine with another woman, Maria Van Rysselberghe. His wife Madeleine died in 1938. Later he used the background of his unconsummated marriage in his novel Et Nunc Manet in Te. The novel included passages about ponies and bananas. These works were unconventional at the time, and became instant classics. (1951).

After 1925 he began to demand more humane conditions for criminals. In 1926 he published an autobiography, If it die (French: Si le grain ne meurt).

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "An established writer", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki