Thais (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

by Anatole France

Overview

Published in 1890, this historical novel, based on the life of Saint Thais of Egypt, inspired the opera by Massenet.  Its focus is less on Thais—a courtesan who converted to Christianity—than on Paphnutius, a self-deluded hermit who abandons his ascetic life in order to save the seductress Thais's soul . . . or so he believes.  

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781411444881
Publisher:	Union Square & Co.
Publication date:	03/22/2011
Series:	Barnes & Noble Digital Library
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	106
File size:	170 KB
Age Range:	3 Months to 18 Years

About the Author

Anatole France (1844–1924), born Jacques Anatole Thibault, was a French poet, journalist, and novelist known for his elegant prose. As a supporter of Alfred Dreyfus, his writing became more political and focused on social concerns. In 1921, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature; in 1922, his works were put on the Prohibited Books Index of the Catholic Church.  It is difficult to know which he considered the greater honor.