Bazin, René

(1853-1932)

   writer

   Born in Angers, René Bazin was a professor of law and gained great notoriety among the French Catholic bourgeoisie because of his novels, through which he demonstrated his attachment to traditional values. In his works, Bazin represents the antithesis of the naturalism that characterizes the writings of, for example, émile zola. Instead of presenting characters in an objective manner, Bazin sought to reveal the positive aspects of human nature, and to stress such virtues as humility, faith, and sacrifice. Le blé qui lève (1907) and Davidée Birot (1912) had real success, as did even more those of his works that evoked a sense of the lives of the peasantry and the bonds that tied them to their land (La Terre qui meurt, 1899), or to the religious and patriotic traditions of their soil (Les Oberlé, 1901; Les Nouveaux Oberlé, 1919; Magnificat, 1931). He also wrote biographies, including Charles de Foucault (1921) and PieX (1928). Bazin was elected to the Académie Française in 1928.