Jean De la Fontaine
Poet
Seventeenth-century French poet and fabulist who is best known for his Contes and Fables. He also published a 1669 novel entitled Les amours de Psyche et de Cupidon.
He studied religion and law before finding his true vocation as a writer.
His life story was told in a 2007 French film -- Jean de La Fontaine - le defi -- that starred Lorant Deutsch.
He had an arranged marriage with Marie Hericart. He and Hericart had one son, but lived apart for most of their lives.
He was, according to the author Flaubert, the only French writer before Victor Hugo to fully master the poetic use of the French language.