Manon Lescaut by Abbe Prevost Manon Lescaut (L'Histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut) is a short novel by French author Abbe Prevost. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of Memoires et aventures d'un homme de qualite (Memoirs and Adventures of a Man of Quality). It was controversial in its time and was banned in France upon publication. Despite this, it became very popular and pirated editions were widely distributed. In a subsequent 1753 edition, the Abbe Prevost toned down some scandalous details and injected more moralizing disclaimers.