This collection of reflective essays forms a spiritual autobiography of Andre Gide, a key figure of French letters Andre Gide, a literary and intellectual giant of twentieth-century France, mines his memories and personal observations in this collection of essays. Gide s reflections and commentary masterfully showcase his delicate writing style and evocative sensibility, yielding new insights on writers such as Goethe and contemporaries Joseph Conrad, Nicolas Poussin, Arthur Rimbaud, and Paul-Marie Verlaine. Through it all, Gide skillfully investigates humanity s contradictory nature and struggles to resolve the moral, political, and religious conflicts inherent in daily life."