Many of the statements on Martin du Gard made by his friend André Gide lack the perception of distance. But Gide did make one statement which turned out to be true. He said that of all the contemporary non-precious writers in France, it was only Martin du Gard who counted. With the passing of time Jean Schlumberger, Jules Romains, Georges Duhamel are less and less read. Martin du Gard, however, bears reading and rereading. In part, his continued popularity is the result of his special gift for making his characters come alive. Each generation is able to appreciate them according to its own sensitivities. In his first works he had a tendency to try to oblige the reader to read with him a certain view of the world, but he learned that what was most important was a sense of living reality which opens the reader's perception...