François-René de Chateaubriand
François-René, Vicomte de Chateaubriand (;French: [fʁɑ̃swa ʁəne də ʃɑtobʁijɑ̃]; September 4, 1768 – July 4, 1848) was a French writer, politician, diplomat, and historian, who is considered the founder of Romanticism in French literature. Descended from an old aristocratic family from Brittany, Chateaubriand was a royalist by political disposition; in an age when a number of intellectuals turned against the Church, he authored the Génie du christianisme in defense of the Catholic faith. His works include the autobiography Mémoires d'outre-tombe ("Memoirs from Beyond the Grave'", published posthumously in 1849–1850).
Biography
Early years and exile
Born in Saint-Malo, the last of 10 children, Chateaubriand grew up in his family's castle in Combourg, Brittany. His father, René de Chateaubriand (1718–86), was a former sea captain turned ship owner and slave trader. His mother's maiden name was Apolline de Bedée. Chateaubriand's father was a morose, uncommunicative man, and the young Chateaubriand grew up in an atmosphere of gloomy solitude, only broken by long walks in the Breton countryside and an intense friendship with his sister Lucile.
