Paul Adam

Paul Adam was a French writer and art critic. He came from a family of industrialists and military personnel. His first novel, published in Belgium, caused a scandal and the author was sentenced to fifteen days in prison. Turning to Symbolism, he wrote for various journals, and continued to publish intimate novels. In 1897, he was a witness of the notorious duel between critic Jean Lorrain and Marcel Proust. He participated in World War I, giving moral support, as he had belonged to the nationalists and followers of revanchist General Ernest Boulanger (1837–91). Adam was the founder of the Ligue intellectuelle de fraternité latine. He published one of the predecessors of modern science fiction literature in 1897 Lettres de Malaisie, but also wrote historical novels including a three-part Napoleon cycle. A monument in his honor was sculpted by [Paul Landowski], which is located next to the Trocadero in Paris. Adam is sometimes compared with Balzac.

The title of his entry for the 1912 Olympic art competitions is not known. In 1907, however, he published the essay La Morale des Sports. In this book, he devoted one chapter to the revival of the Olympic Games by Pierre de Coubertin.