''The Diary of a Country Priest'' () is a 1936 novel by the French writer

Georges Bernanos Louis Émile Clément Georges Bernanos (; 20 February 1888 – 5 July 1948) was a French author, and a soldier in World War I. A Catholic with monarchist leanings, he was critical of elitist thought and was opposed to what he identified as defea ...

. The novel received the

Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française Le Grand Prix du Roman is a French literary award, created in 1914, and given each year by the Académie française. Along with the Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt (french: Le prix Goncourt, , ''The Goncourt Prize'') is a prize in French litera ...

. In 1950 it was named one of the twelve best novels in the

French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...

published between 1900 and 1950. It was the basis for the 1951 film ''

Diary of a Country Priest ''Diary of a Country Priest'' (french: Journal d'un curé de campagne) is a 1951 French drama film written and directed by Robert Bresson, and starring Claude Laydu in his debut film performance. A faithful adaptation of Georges Bernanos' nove ...

'', directed by

Robert Bresson Robert Bresson (; 25 September 1901 – 18 December 1999) was a French film director. Known for his ascetic approach, Bresson contributed notably to the art of cinema; his non-professional actors, Ellipsis (narrative device), ellipses, and s ...

. The book was published in English in 1937 in a translation by Pamela Morris.

Synopsis

The story is set in Ambricourt in northern France, where a young, newly appointed Catholic priest struggles with stomach pains and the lack of faith within his parish. He knows he is weak, inferior, and sometimes thinks himself touched by madness, but strongly believes that the grace of God passes through his priesthood: “All is grace!". The diary is divided into three parts: * In the first, the young priest describes his arrival in his parish in the north of France and his first experiences with the poor population. * The second is about daily life in the parish. The priest describes his encounters with different people and the results of his work. He fails to fulfill his duty, and it is only during a crisis in the local palace that he succeeds in convincing the Countess of the existence of God. This conversation with the Countess is the culmination of the novel. She finds herself in a fatal situation and dies a day later. * The last part deals with the stay and the death of the priest in

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

after a medical examination.

References

External links

''Diary of a Country Priest''
* (French version) {{DEFAULTSORT:Diary of a Country Priest 1936 French novels Catholic novels French-language novels French novels adapted into films Novels by Georges Bernanos Plon (publisher) books