Thais is a novel by Anatole France published in 1890. It is based on events in the life of Saint Thais of Egypt, a legendary convert to Christianity who is said to have lived in the 4th century. It was the inspiration for the opera of the same name by Jules Massenet. Anatole France (born Francois-Anatole Thibault, 16 April 1844 - 12 October 1924) was a French poet, journalist, and novelist. He was born in Paris, and died in Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire. He was a successful novelist, with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters. He was a member of the Academie francaise, and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in recognition of his literary achievements."