Gallimard

Éditions Gallimard, founded in Paris in 1911 by Gaston Gallimard, is the closest thing French literature has to a home address. Camus, Sartre, Saint-Exupéry and a century of the language’s best prose appeared under its cream-coloured covers. For a learner, the name on the spine is a useful signal: this is the canon, in the original.

Why the publisher matters to a learner

Because its paperback line, Folio, is how French people actually buy these books: small, cheap and everywhere. When you order your first French novel, Folio is what you want; the editions are clean and easy to carry, and used copies cost a coffee. Gallimard also publishes Folio Bilingue, facing-page French and English editions that are ideal training wheels for a first attempt.

Where to start

• L’Étranger by Albert Camus (1942). Short sentences, everyday past tense, about 120 pages. The classic first French novel, reviewed here.
• Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943). Gentler still; readable from a strong A2.
• Any Folio Bilingue short-story collection. Read the French page, glance at the English page only when stuck.

How to buy French books from abroad

Search for the Folio edition by title plus « folio »; most international bookshops stock them, and e-book versions of the classics are widely available. Start with used paperbacks: annotating your first French book in pencil is part of the pleasure.

Keep going

• The past tenses you will meet on every page
• Match books to your level
• Prefer screens first? Where to watch French

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