orig. Louis-Henri-Jean Farigoule
born Aug. 26, 1885, Saint-Julien-Chapteuil, France
died Aug. 14, 1972, Paris
French novelist, dramatist, and poet.
A teacher of philosophy, Romains first became known as a poet and as founder ( 0441; 190811), with Georges Chennevière, of the literary movement Unanimisme, which combined belief in universal brotherhood with the psychological concept of group consciousness. His most popular work was the comedy Knock (1923), a satire on doctors. His masterpiece, Men of Good Will , 27 vol. (193246), is a vast novel cycle attempting to recreate the spirit of French society from 1908 to 1933 and exemplifying the Unanimiste interest in collective life.