France’s ‘cultural canon’ includes a range of classic novels which most French people will have read (or watched the movie, or at least heard of) and which are therefore often referenced. Aurore Laborie lists the must-reads.

First the caveat, there isn’t an official list that makes up the French cultural canon when it comes to literature – but there are various lists of the most famous, many of which are on the school syllabus. In good news, these are widely available in English translation and at lot of them have film adaptations.

Having done my collège and lycée in the French school system, I think these are the books most French students and adults will have read – we’ve added the name of the English translation too, in case you find the idea of reading an entire novel in French a bit daunting.

1. Les Trois Mousquetaires (The Three Musketeers) Alexandre Dumas (1844)

This is the story of a young man named d’Artagnan who moves to Paris during the 17th century and befriends three formidable musketeers – Athos, Porthos and Aramis – and becomes involved in affairs of state and at court.

It’s a good primer for French history because it features a lot of real historical figures and it has sparked dozens of film and TV adaptations.

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2. Les Fleurs du Mal – Charles Baudelaire (1857)

A collection of poems that scandalised France when it was first published. Imagine that. A staple of the French school curriculum, every French person I know has studied it at some point.

3. Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert (1857)

Isn’t it a cliché that French people are promiscuous? Well, this book will probably reinforce this stereotype. It’s about Emma Bovary, wife of a provincial doctor, who engages in adulterous relationships and tries to escape the boredom of her provincial life. Spoiler alert: It does not work out well for her.

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4. Les Malheurs de Sophie (Daddy-Long-Legs) РComtesse de S̩gur (1858)

This is a children’s book about a little girl named Sophie who tries to be good but always ends up getting into mischief with her friends.

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5. Les Mis̩rables РVictor Hugo (1862)

Do I even have to explain that one? No, it didn’t start life as a musical, it’s probably one of the most iconic French books of all time. I always say I have read it but it’s technically a lie, most of us French students only had to read the abbreviated version for school.

The musical might be fun, but the book is well worth a read if you have the time (it’s 2,958 pages long), or pick up that abbreviated version for schools.

To give an idea of Victor Hugo’s cultural importance in France, he has 2,555 streets named after him.

6. Le Tour du Monde en 80 Jours (Around the world in 80 Days) – Jules Verne (1873)

Imagine you made a bet with your friends that you could travel the world in 80 days. That’s what Phileas Fogg of London does in this adventure book along with his newly employed French valet Passepartout.

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7. Au Bonheur des Dames (The Ladies’ Paradise) Emile Zola (1883)

This book is gossip, pretty clothes and fancy Parisian establishments all wrapped up in a 19th century bow. But it’s also about unemployment and the death of small businesses because Zola never writes a book without an important social commentary.

8. L’Etranger (The Stranger) – Albert Camus (1942)

The first lines of the book are probably the most famous opening lines in French literature and you’ll certainly hear people reference them from time to time. The story itself is absurd and that is precisely the point.

9. Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) РAntoine de Saint-Exup̩ry (1943)

Like most French students, I read this in primary school and I didn’t understand a single thing that was happening.

The covers of this book usually make it look like a children’s book but it’s not necessarily the case. As an adult, you will probably find that it is a philosophical masterpiece. Its author, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was a famous French aviator, who disappeared while on a mission in 1944. He was given the honour of being inducted into the Panthéon, but his tomb is empty because his body has never been found.

10. La Promesse de l’Aube (Promise at Dawn) – Romain Gary (1960)

Another book written by a French aviator. This is Gary’s stunning autobiography: an ode to the relationship with his mother and the harrowing tales of his time as an aviator during WWII.

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11. La Gloire de mon père (My Father’s Glory) – Marcel Pagnol (1957)

You’ll notice a pattern but this book is another autobiography. This one is about Provence’s most famous writer, Marcel Pagnol, and his childhood. It’s a wonderful book, a breath of fresh air!

12. Un sac de billes (A bag of marbles) – Joseph Joffo (1973)

A deeply moving autobiographical novel written by the French Jewish author Joseph Joffo, telling the story of his flight, as a small boy, with his brother Maurice to escape from Nazi occupied France to the Zone Libre.

13. L’Amant (The Lover) – Marguerite Duras (1984)

Through the story of a forbidden relationship between a young French girl and a Chinese man, this book explores desire, social transgression, colonisation and identity.

Do you have suggestions for inclusion in the French cultural canon? Share your recommendations in the comments section below