An Atlantic Soul: Chateaubriand

Forests precede civilisations and deserts follow them

246 years ago, the 4th September 1768, (François René de) Chateaubriand was born in Saint Malo, Brittany, France. This famous philosopher and writer represents Atlantic Arc values such as:

– Openness to the world and discoveries: Lived in several countries, Ambassador, Foreign Affairs Minister, writer of books like Les Natchez, Les Aventures du dernier Abencérage, Voyage en Amérique…

– Innovation and Passion: He was the first of a series of French men of letters (Lamartine, Victor Hugo, André Malraux) who tried to mix political and literary careers. He is considered the founder of Romanticism in French literature and was the first to define the vague des passions (“intimations of passion”) which would become a commonplace of Romanticism.

– Exchange and sharing of culture: He translated John Milton’s Paradise Lost, which would have a deep influence on his own literary work

– Love for nature and local food: His descriptions of Nature made him the model for a generation of Romantic writers. A food enthusiast, he coined the name of a dish made from a cut of tenderloin (the Chateaubriand steak)

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