Pierre Loti

Camille Sainson (Université Laval)

Ed. by David Elwyn Evans, University of St Andrews
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.06: French Writing and Culture: Early Twentieth-century , 1900-1945.
Vol. editors: Kate Averis (University of Western Australia), Hugo Azerad (University of Cambridge), Patrick ffrench (King's College London), Edward Forman (University of Bristol), Akane Kawakami (Birkbeck, University of London), Siobhán McIlvanney (King's College London), Sinan Richards (King's College London), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Dates

Born 14 Jan 1850
Died 10 Jun 1923
Activity 1879-1923

Places

Born in France
Active in France

Activities

Primary

Mariner/ Navigator/ Seaman
Novelist
Travel writer

Other

Journalist

Resources

Viaud's Works

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Pierre Loti (real name Julien Viaud) is best known for his maritime and exotic novels. Inspired by his travels as a naval officer – in places such as Tahiti, Senegal, Turkey, and Japan – Loti drew on his experiences and encounters with indigenous populations to write his stories in a realistic fashion, but always under the veil of fiction. Anatole France famously called him “the sublime illiterate” (Gagnière), claiming that he could diffuse the aroma of distant lands without demonstrating any real literary talent. A prolific author of accessible prose, Loti published over fifty novels during his lifetime.

Loti was born in 1850 in Rochefort, a French town on the Atlantic coast. Raised in a modest family from the Protestant petite bourgeoisie, and lulled by tales of the seas told by

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1354 words

Citation: Sainson, Camille. "Pierre Loti". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 January 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=13875, accessed 18 January 2025.]