Paul Léautaud

A master of sarcasm and uncompromising honesty, he was one of the most prominent French literary critics of his time. For over fifty years, he kept a diary, which became his most famous work, *Journal littéraire*. In it, he combined irony with penetrating observations on literature and human nature. Surprisingly tender toward animals, he also helped make his portrait of Paris in the first half of the 20th century feel so vivid and human.