The journals of André Gide, 1889-1949

This is a selection from the diary Gide kept for sixty years, from youth to old age. It follows his reading, travels, friendships and work on his books, and records his thoughts on religion, morality, politics and art. Readers meet writers and artists of his circle and watch his opinions change over time. The entries are frank, reflective and often witty, and they give a close view of a restless mind examining itself. The journals are valued both as a literary achievement and as a record of French cultural life in the first half of the twentieth century.