Romain Rolland

Romain Rolland (1866–1944) was a French novelist, playwright, essayist, and pacifist. He received the 1915 Nobel Prize in Literature, chiefly for his literary work.

Jean-Christophe: A ten-volume novel by Romain Rolland tracing the life of a German composer from childhood to maturity. This novel earned Rolland the literary reputation recognized by his Nobel Prize.
Theatrical cycle: A sequence of plays designed to form a larger dramatic work through shared themes or historical scope. Rolland used linked historical dramas to explore revolution and political ideals.
Stefan Zweig: An Austrian writer known for biographies, novellas, and essays on European culture. Zweig admired Rolland and corresponded with him during the First World War.
Nobel Prize in Literature: An annual award recognizing outstanding work in literature, established by the will of Alfred Nobel. Rolland received the 1915 award for the tribute to the idealism of his literary production.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: A German writer and statesman whose works include Faust and The Sorrows of Young Werther. Rolland treated Goethe as a model of expansive European humanism.
French Revolution: A period of political and social upheaval in France beginning in 1789 and ending with Napoleon’s rise. Rolland’s drama Danton stages conflicts among leaders of the Revolution.
Mahatma Gandhi: An Indian independence leader who developed a philosophy of nonviolent resistance. Rolland’s 1924 biography helped introduce Gandhi to a wider European audience.
Au-dessus de la mêlée: A 1915 collection of Romain Rolland’s essays opposing wartime hatred and nationalism. Its title became shorthand for Rolland’s appeal to stand above belligerent national loyalties.
Ludwig van Beethoven: A German composer whose symphonies and piano works transformed Western classical music. Beethoven’s life and music shaped Rolland’s writing about artistic struggle and heroism.
Danton: A leading figure in the French Revolution who was executed in 1794. Rolland made Danton the central figure of a play about revolutionary power and conscience.

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