"Henri Peyre (1901-1988), a giant figure in French studies, did more to introduce Americans to the modern literature and culture of France than any writer living or dead. Sterling Professor and chair of the French Department of Yale University for more than four decades, then Distinguished Professor and executive officer of the French program at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, Peyre was a mentor to two full generations of French students. He was also the author or editor of forty-four books and a brilliant speaker who lectured and taught in England, Egypt, and most states of the union." "Peyre also left a large body of correspondence. This collection of his letters documents the era in which he lived and bears witness to the vast network of his personal and professional relationships. The volume begins with letters addressed to his family during his student years and ends with letters he wrote on the day of his death. Peyre's correspondents included students, colleagues, university presidents, deans, foundation heads, and such major post-war literary figures as St. John Perse, Robert Penn Warren, Andre Gide, Andre Malraux, and Simone Weil."--Jacket.