Who Was Jean de La Fontaine? A Guide for Families
Ask any French child who wrote the fable of the ant and the grasshopper and the answer will be instant: La Fontaine. He is to France what the Brothers Grimm are to Germany.
Childhood in Champagne
Jean de La Fontaine was born on 8 July 1621 in Chateau-Thierry, a small town in the Champagne region of France. His father was an inspector of forests, putting young Jean in direct contact with the animals that would later star in his fables.
From Aesop to La Fontaine
La Fontaine did not invent fables — he reinvented them. He took stories from Aesop, Phaedrus and Eastern traditions, transforming them into elegant, accessible French poetry. His fables like The Ant and the Grasshopper, The Hare and the Tortoise and The Lion and the Mouse are known worldwide.
Fun facts
- He wrote 240 verse fables published between 1668 and 1694
- Elected to the French Academy in 1684
- His fables are memorised by every French schoolchild to this day
- He adapted stories from Aesop, Phaedrus and the Indian Panchatantra
Discover his fables adapted for children in the La Fontaine collection at Cuentautor.
Read also: La Fontaine Values · Best Fables Guide