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Laclos, Pierre Ambroise François Choderlos de

(Encyclopedia)Laclos, Pierre Ambroise François Choderlos de pyĕr äNbrwäzˈ fräNswäˈ shôdĕrlōˈ də läklōˈ [key], 1741–1803, French novelist and general, known as Choderlos de Laclos. He is best known...

Céloron de Blainville, Pierre Joseph de

(Encyclopedia)Céloron de Blainville, Pierre Joseph de pyĕr zhôzĕfˈ də sālərôNˈ də blăNvēlˈ [key], 1693–1759, French Canadian soldier, b. Montreal. He was commandant at Michilimackinac (1734–42), D...

Saint-Pierre, Charles Irénée Castel, Abbé de

(Encyclopedia)Saint-Pierre, Charles Irénée Castel, Abbé de shärl ērānāˈ kästĕlˈ äbāˈ də săN-pyĕrˈ [key], 1658–1743, French social philosopher. An advocate of natural religion and toleration, he ...

Bourget, Paul

(Encyclopedia)Bourget, Paul pôl bo͞orzhāˈ [key], 1852–1935, French novelist. His early novels were naturalistic, but Le Disciple (1889, tr. 1901), a tale of the destruction of a pupil who applies his master's...

Adam de la Halle

(Encyclopedia)Adam de la Halle lə bōsüˈ [key], c.1240–1287, French dramatist and poet-musician, one of the great trouvères. Many of his songs and polyphonic motets are preserved, as is the pastoral comedy wi...

Hildebert of Lavardin

(Encyclopedia)Hildebert of Lavardin hĭlˈdəbərt, lăvˈərdĭn; lävärdăNˈ [key], c.1056–1133, French churchman, bishop of Le Mans (1096–1125), and archbishop of Tours (1125–33). He was taken prisoner w...

Renard, Jules

(Encyclopedia)Renard, Jules zhül rənärˈ [key], 1864–1910, French writer. His Écornifleur (1892) is a novel about a young writer's selfish exploitation of a bourgeois family. Poil de carotte (1894), an autobi...

Servan-Schreiber, Jean-Jacques

(Encyclopedia)Servan-Schreiber, Jean-Jacques, 1924–2006, French journalist, politician, and public intellectual, b. Paris, grad. École Polytechnique (1947). A political writer at Le Monde (1948–53), he moved o...

Messiaen, Olivier

(Encyclopedia)Messiaen, Olivier ôlēvyāˈ mĕsyäNˈ [key], 1908–92, French composer and organist, b. Avignon. Messiaen was a pupil of Paul Dukas at the Paris Conservatory. He became organist of La Trinité, Pa...

Saint Laurent, Yves

(Encyclopedia)Saint Laurent, Yves săN lôräNˈ [key], 1936–2008, French fashion designer, b. Oran, Algeria, as Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent. Moving to Paris at 17, he ultimately established houses of...

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