The anthology Correspondence with des écrivains (1948-1984) (Gallimard, 2022) offers a comprehensive insight into the mind of François Truffaut and his deep-rooted relationship with literature, which permeated his entire cinematic oeuvre. Edited by Bernard Bastide, this work gathers a wealth of letters that Truffaut exchanged with writers, established authors, publishers, and emerging talents from 1948 (when he was 16) to 1984 (when he was 52 and would soon die). The volume powerfully demonstrates how much Truffaut's artistic universe thrived on dialogue with literature—be it in correspondence, film adaptations, or his work as a critic. The book thus provides not only access to Truffaut's work but is also a kaleidoscope of French literary and film history in the postwar period. It is a moving document of a cinephile intellectual who never considered literature a mere afterthought, but rather the very heart of his creative life.
This volume reveals not only the intellectual and creative processes behind Truffaut's films, but also the private side of a man who created a "family of the heart" through literature and attributed an existential significance to writing as much as to filmmaking. Particularly illuminating are the long-standing correspondences with figures such as the Jesuit Jean Mambrino, the poet Jacques Audiberti, and the educator Fernand Deligny. These letters show Truffaut not only as an intellectual, but also as a sensitive, often vulnerable individual. The letters are not only interesting from an art historical or film studies perspective, but often also deeply moving—for example, when Truffaut writes to Fernand Deligny about his planned film "L'Enfant sauvage," inspired by his reading of historical medical reports. The letters also contain many literary anecdotes: for instance, Jean-Paul Sartre's thanks for a gifted letter by Flaubert, or the ironic and amusing assessments of Truffaut's films by other authors such as Jean Dutourd and Marguerite Duras.
Content
Truffaut's relationship between film and literature
Truffaut established a fundamental connection between film and literature and refused to define a hierarchy between them. For him, they were equally valid forms of expression that mutually enriched each other. He even considered filmmaking and letter writing to be not so different: "Making a film and writing a letter are not so different." 1 He compared the emotional and financial costs: “Sometimes I make a film thinking only of one person who may not even see it, and tell myself that I am spending five million, while I would only pay one franc thirty for a letter.” 2 This comparison illustrates how personal and intense Truffaut felt both activities were.
Literature and writing were not only inspirations but were directly integrated into his films. Many of his characters are writers: letters, postcards, diaries, and books are central elements in his narratives. In "Les Mistons" (1957), children leave behind vengeful inscriptions and a slanderous postcard, with Truffaut attributing an almost "magical power" to writing to make or destroy reputations. Antoine Doinel in "Les Quatre Cents Coups" (1959) draws inspiration from Balzac's La Recherche de l'absoluThis reflects Truffaut's own reading preferences. The love triangles in "Jules et Jim" (1962) and "Les Deux Anglaises et le Continent" (1971) often communicate via letters. Truffaut emphasized his desire to preserve the style and prose of the author Henri Pierre Roché: "Truffaut's sophisticated film shots have only one goal: to hear the original text in order to convey Roché's style and prose to the audience unfiltered." 3 This demonstrates his respect for the literary source material and his attempt to make it cinematically accessible without distorting it.
Other examples include Dr. Itard's notes in "L'Enfant sauvage" (1970), Stanislas Prévine's sociological dissertation in "Une belle fille comme moi" (1972), Adèle H's passionate letters and diaries in "L'Histoire d'Adèle H." (1975), Bertrand Morane's detailed account of his conquests in "L'Homme qui aimait les femmes" (1977), and Antoine Doinel's autobiographical novel in "L'Amour en fuite" (1978). Truffaut even dreamed of depicting the entire life cycle of a book in a film – from writing to printing to the finished object – and compared this process to the making of a film: “I had long wanted to show in a film everything that happens to a book: The book is written, then it is typeset, printed, you get the galley proofs to correct, you choose the cover, and then the book is there, finished, like an object. In fact, it is a process very similar to the process of making a film.” 4 This underlines his deep connection to both media and the realization that they follow similar creative principles.
The significance of literature for Truffaut's cinematic work
Literature was initially a refuge, if not a salvation, for Truffaut. At a young age, perhaps eleven, he considered a career in literature and was strongly influenced by Émile Zola, particularly by... Thérèse Raquin, whose violent aspect ("très violent") greatly impressed him. After the war, he systematically built up his own library and read classics alphabetically, with Honoré de Balzac being a great revelation for him, in particular. The Wild Ass's Skin. This “amour fou pour les livres et la littérature” was initially his “planche de salut”, before cinema surpassed it as his greatest passion in 1946 with “Citizen Kane”.
Although Truffaut sharply criticized earlier film adaptations of literature, which he considered "distorting," he himself adapted novels and short stories. However, he did not see this as "pillage de la littérature" (plundering of literature), but rather as "filmed homages" to beloved and often misunderstood books. His method differed from that of his predecessors in that he favored a "filmed reading" with alternating scenes and commentary, instead of theatrically dissecting novels.
His attitude toward adaptation evolved over the course of his career. Adaptations were concentrated mainly on the first half of his work. Later, they became less frequent, as he encountered financial and technical difficulties and found it challenging to adapt novels without distorting them. After "Fahrenheit 451" (1966), he wrote to Helen Scott: "I believe that after Fahrenheit, I will let adaptations fall in favor of the original screenplays, which are still easier to create!" He considered the filming of literature "immoral": "Conversing with you, so refined, so cultured [...], I saw all the immorality in the plundering of literature by cinema [...]. Cinema should ultimately be self-sufficient and invent its own themes." 5 After the failure of "Les Deux Anglaises et le Continent" (1971), he decided to adapt only plays or short stories, or to use original screenplays, in the future. In the case of "Fahrenheit 451," he fought hard with Ray Bradbury to minimize the futuristic dimension in favor of a plea for freedom of reading, as censorship was a topical issue: "Book censorship is indeed a topical issue, and not just a science fiction one: books are burned all over the world every day, and Fahrenheit interested me because it takes this drama of book censorship to its extreme." 6 This shows that his adaptations were often influenced by his own social or artistic concerns.
Truffaut also mentored and supported young literary talents, such as Serge Rezvani and Bernard Gheur, which underscores his appreciation for the written word. He even encouraged Rezvani to write, jokingly saying that he himself would write if he could, instead of making films: "If I could write, I wouldn't be the monkey behind the big Mitchell 300." 7 Bernard Gheur sent him a short story, "Le Testament d'un cancre," which Truffaut praised and encouraged him to develop into a novel: "I think you should develop all these themes, this character, give it plenty of space, break out of the short story and really tackle a novel [...]. You are capable of it." 8 Truffaut revised Gheur's manuscript with "notes et corrections" and later wrote a preface for his debut novel. This mentoring relationship was crucial for Gheur.
Key authors in the correspondence for understanding Truffaut
The correspondence offers insights into Truffaut's "inner circle" of writers who shaped his personality. These can be divided into four main groups:
1. Pères fondateurs (founding fathers)
Truffaut admired these authors immensely and maintained long-standing correspondence with them when he was still young.
Jean Cocteau
Jean Cocteau was Truffaut's mentor at the Cannes Film Festival presentation of "Les Quatre Cents Coups." Truffaut produced adaptations of Cocteau's works, such as the short film "Anna la bonne" and the feature film "Testament d'Orphée." Cocteau encouraged him, and they shared a deep connection, as Cocteau wrote to Truffaut: "I saw in your eye, as you had seen in mine, that openness of heart whose light the Cannes Film Festival does not know. By doing you a favor, I did myself a favor: I cleansed my soul of all this filth." 9 Truffaut appreciated Cocteau's creativity and loyalty, even though he sometimes expressed his "craintes".
Jean Genet
Reading Genet's "Journal du voleur" (1951) was a formative experience for Truffaut, who saw Genet as a "brother in rebellion," since both had unknown fathers. Genet also introduced him to the crime novels of the "Série Noire." Truffaut admired Genet's discretion and rigor: "Genet is the most discreet, the proudest, the most rigorous, certainly the most battered writer." 10
Jacques Audiberti
Truffaut worked with Audiberti on humorous sketches for the "Cahiers du cinéma" from 1954 onwards. He admired Audiberti's dialogue and dreamed of hiring him for films: "My dream is to entrust you with writing the dialogue for films that I might one day direct. I am truly surprised that the film industry has never made use of your services." 11 Audiberti responded to this hope: “Oui, nous ferons des films!”
Louise de Vilmorin
A “salutaire figure féminine” and friend of Cocteau, who influenced Truffaut. Their “amitié amoureuse de nature épistolaire” was characterized by affection and mutual concern. She influenced the character of Fabienne Tabard in “Baisers volés.” Truffaut later reflected that he had too closely intertwined friendship and work: “Perhaps one of my mistakes is that I link friendship and work too closely?” 12
2. Authors he adapted
Henri Pierre Roché
Truffaut adapted his novels Jules et Jim and Les Deux Anglaises et le Continent. Roché was a great supporter of Truffaut's film work and considered it "un événement très souhaité que vous passiez à la mise en scène! Je me sens sûr de vous".
David goodis
After the film adaptation of Goodis' novel "Tirez sur le pianiste" (1960), Truffaut championed the financially struggling author and recommended his unpublished works to Marcel Duhamel of the "Série Noire".
Ray Bradbury
The collaboration on "Fahrenheit 451" (1966) was complex. Truffaut adapted Bradbury's novel to his own vision. Their correspondence reveals mutual respect, but also artistic challenges: "I felt that you had captured the essence of my novel almost perfectly…". 13 Bradbury wrote, but also “I found Monday’s pursuit too short.” 14 He appreciated Truffaut's decision for "sobriété" rather than too many gadgets: "They taught me a lesson in taste and sobriety." 15 Truffaut assured Bradbury of his "loyalty to the spirit of your book and, secondly, the freedom of my work." 16
René-Jean Clot
The project to adapt his novel "Le Bleu d'outre-tombe" into a film never came to fruition. Truffaut ended the project because he felt the film would have become too much Clot's work: "I quickly realized that this film would be your film, more than mine, and that you yourself would direct it better than I could." 17 Nevertheless, the correspondence continued for over 24 years.
3. Renowned personalities in the publishing industry and famous authors:
The correspondence with Marcel Duhamel (founder of the "Série Noire"), Jean Cayrol (Seuil), and Robert Sabatier (Albin Michel) reveals Truffaut's predilection for crime fiction. He appreciated the "charm of the translation" in the "Série Noire," which was enhanced by post-synchronization.
Truffaut maintained primarily polite, admiring, and often one-off exchanges with Georges Simenon, Jean-Paul Sartre, Romain Gary, Pierre Klossowski, and Marguerite Duras. He admired Simenon. Dictates: “Vos livres de Dictées me passionatenent et, deux fois par an, je les attends avec impatience”.
4. Artists whose first steps he accompanied:
Serge Rezvani
Truffaut hired him for "Jules et Jim" (the song "Le Tourbillon") and later encouraged him to transition from painting to writing. Rezvani viewed books as "astonishing dialogues" and emphasized the "serious" and "dramatic" nature of the written word compared to images and sounds.
Bernard Gheur
Truffaut encouraged Gheur to expand a short story into a novel and even wrote a preface for his debut novel. Gheur thanked Truffaut for reading and correcting his "Testament d'un cancre." Truffaut later considered Gheur "un véritable écrivain professionnel" (a true professional writer).
Conclusion: Truffaut's relationship to literature
Literature as an existential foundation
Truffaut's relationship with literature was originally a survival mechanism, a "planche de salut" that helped him orient himself in the world and find a "family of the heart." This early influence remained a constant in his life and work.
The parallel of creation
For Truffaut, the creative act of writing and filmmaking were profoundly analogous. He did not see them as separate disciplines, but as different ways of telling a story and connecting with the audience, much like a letter creates a personal connection.
Adaptation as homage and reinterpretation
Truffaut did not see film adaptations of literature as mere appropriation or "plundering," but rather as personal "filmed homages." He strove to capture the "spirit of the book" and contribute his own artistic vision, even if this could lead to conflicts with the original authors, as in the case of Ray Bradbury.
From literary origin to cinematic originality
Although he drew inspiration from literature and produced many adaptations, Truffaut recognized over the course of his career the need for cinema to "invent its own themes." This development led to a greater emphasis on original screenplays, particularly after the difficulties encountered with extensive novel adaptations. This reflects his maturation as a filmmaker who not only drew on existing works but also sought to create independent cinematic narratives.
The band Correspondence with écrivains It is thus far more than a collection of letters; it is a literary portrait of one of the most influential filmmakers of the French New Wave, revealing his love of words, his artistic struggles, and his profound human relationships. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand Truffaut's work in all its complexity. The sequel, due to be published in 2025, will be similarly compelling, focusing on Truffaut's correspondence with filmmakers. 18
This article is written in German and can be found at https://rentree.de. Automatic translations into English and French are available. English, French.
Notes- “Faire un film ou écrire une letter, ce n'est past tellement différent.”>>>
- “I arrived in a film exclusively for a person who could see me and see me on the train of dépenser cinq millions alors que si j'écrivais une letter, ça coûterait un franc trente”.>>>
- “Tous les dispositifs astucieux que Truffaut s'ingénie à imaginer pour les filmmakers n'ont en réalité qu'un but: faire entendre le texte original afin de transmettre aux spectateurs, sans user du moindre filtre, le style et la prose de Roché.”>>>
- “It takes a long time to watch in a film that arrives in a book: the book is printed, written in the composition, imprimé, on your part the pictures are corrected, on the choice of the cover, and the book is written, in fine, comme un object. En fait, c'est un trajet qui ressemble beaucoup au trajet d'un film.”>>>
- "En parlant avec vous, si fin, si cultivé [...], j'ai vu tout ce qu'il ya d'immoral dans le pillage de la littérature par le cinéma [...]. Le cinéma, après tout, devrait se suffire à soi-même et inventer ses propres sujets.">>>
- “La censure des livres est en effet un sujet d'actualité et pas seulement un thème de science-fiction: on brûle des livres tous les jours à travers le monde et Fahrenheit m'a interessé parce qu'il poussait à bout ce drama de la censure des livres.”>>>
- “If you save something, you don't want to sing the big Mitchell 300.”>>>
- “Je pense que vous devriez développer tous ces thèmes, ce personnage, thunder à tout cela beaucoup d'ampleur, vous évader de la new pour entreprendre vraiment un roman [...]. Vous en êtes capable.”>>>
- "J'ai vu dans ton œil comme tu l'avais vu dans le mien cette franchise du cœur dont le Festival de Cannes ignore la lumière. En te rendant service, je me rendais service : je me lavais l'âme de toute cette crasse.">>>
- “Genet est l'écrivain le plus discret, le plus orgueilleux, le plus rigoureux, le plus meurtri sûrement.”>>>
- "Mon rêve est de vous confier l'écriture des dialogues de films que, peut-être, je réaliserai un jour. Je suis surpris, en effet, que le cinéma n'ait jamais fait appel à vos services.">>>
- “Peut-être un de mes défauts est-il de trop lier l'amitié et le travail ?”>>>
- “J'ai trouvé que vous avez quasi parfaitement saisi l'essence de mon roman…”>>>
- “j'ai trouvé la traque de Montag trop courte.”>>>
- “You've got a lesson in taste and sobriety.”>>>
- “Fidélité à l'esprit de votre livre et en second lieu la liberté de mon travail”.>>>
- “Je me suis vite rendu compte que ce film serait vôtre, plus que mien, et que vous le réalisiez vous-même mieux que je ne saurais le faire.”>>>
- See David Azoulay, “La camera et la plume”, Waiting for Nadeau, 21. July 2025.>>>
