Jean de La Fontaine - French Edition Author:Jean-Jacques Leveque 1995 was the three-hundredth anniversary of the death of Jean de La Fontaine. Born in Chateau-Thierry, in the Aisne, in 1621, he is one of the main literary figures of his time, alongside his friends Boileau, Moliere and Racine (virtually his neighbour). He has become the most well known French author, and his Fables have been translated into al... more »l languages. They are also the most frequently re-edited work in France. Through the creation of animal characters in his Fables, he created one of the most potent social satires. His treatment of eroticism in his Contes undermines the hypocritical practices of a society wrought with religious conflict. The author of La Fontaine, un conteur fabuleux, vividly portrays the man within his time period. He exposes the art whereby La Fontaine brought ancient myth to the countryside and Parisian Salons. Jean-Jacques Leveque guides his reader in the footsteps of La Fontaine, from the Fables to the Contes, through all the facets of his genius.« less