French Literature Reviews - 2026
Thibaudet Réflexions sur la littérature (Quarto)
Writers: Biography, Letters and Memoirs
Albert Thibaudet
RÉFLEXIONS SUR LA LITTÉRATURE
Edited by Antoine Compagnon and Christophe Pradeau,
preface by Antoine Compagnon
Gallimard Collection Quarto
ISBN 9782070783670.
25-05-2007. 1764 pages 35.00 €
“Albert Thibaudet (1874–1936) was the most prominent literary critic of the interwar period, following in the footsteps of Sainte-Beuve and, above all, Montaigne, the ‘father of critical thought’. A student and later friend of Bergson, a schoolmate of Jarry and Herriot, and an admirer of Barrès, Maurras, and Mistral, he was also close to Gide and Valéry, an interlocutor of Proust, an equal to Alain and Daniel Halévy, a rival to Julien Benda, and an accomplice to Jean Paulhan.
A philosopher, then a historian and geographer, his vast curiosity, benevolent versatility, ingenious comparisons, and conversational style brought a European-wide readership to his column in La Nouvelle Revue française. Month after month, from 1912 until his death, he covered every conceivable subject—major and minor, low and high, serious and comical—discussing not only the latest releases but also classics, not to mention Chaplin’s films.
All of Thibaudet’s ‘Réflexions sur la littérature’ are presented here in the chronological order of their publication in the NRF, accompanied by annotations that untangle their endless allusions. In their erudition, they are the Lundis of the 20th century; in their wisdom, they are our Essays.” — Antoine Compagnon.
Albert Thibaudet held a central position in French literary life during the interwar decades, contributing monthly columns to La Nouvelle Revue française from 1912 until his death in 1936. His writing engaged broadly with both contemporary publications and established classics, spanning diverse subjects with a conversational approach. As an intellectual figure, he maintained wide-ranging connections across artistic and philosophical circles of his era. This volume collects his critical pieces in chronological order, accompanied by editorial annotations that clarify their historical and literary references.
Readers interested in the history of literary criticism and French intellectual life during the early twentieth century may find this comprehensive collection relevant. The texts document a prolific practice of journalism and essay writing that paralleled the development of modern literature and its institutions. Scholars of French literature often examine Thibaudet's contributions to understand how critical authority and taste were negotiated across decades of significant cultural change.