Jean-Christophe (1904–1912) is a monumental ten-volume novel by French writer Romain Rolland, which earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1915. The story chronicles the life of Jean-Christophe Krafft, a German-born musical genius, from his impoverished childhood in the Rhineland through his passionate struggles as a composer in Paris, to his eventual spiritual fulfillment in Italy. Through the protagonist's artistic journey and moral quest, Rolland explores themes of genius, individualism, and the artist's responsibility to humanity. Regarded as one of the earliest examples of the roman-fleuve genre, the novel celebrates the heroic spirit of creative individuals confronting a materialistic and indifferent society.
