At the moment when I was sealing my vows with a gentle kiss, to which Atala at this time made but a feeble resistance, a rapid stream of lightning, followed by a tremendous clap of thunder, filled all the forest with sulphur and light, and shivered a tree at our feet. We fled, trembling with fright. But oh, wonderful --in the calm which succeeded this shock, we head the sound of a bell We both stood speechless and listened to this noise, so extraordinary in such a wilderness... --from Atala Now considered the father of French literary Romanticism, Fran ois-Ren Chateaubriand was still unknown as an author when he published Atala in 1801, but the sensation it caused skyrocketed him to fame. The story of doomed Indian lovers in 17th-century America, where Catholicism was taking hold and beginning to impassion natives, it is a celebration of nature and innocence, romance and religious feeling. Hard to find in print, this classic of the fiction of early America is essential reading for anyone seeking a deeper appreciation of 19th-century literature. French writer, diplomat, and politician FRAN OIS-REN , VICOMTE DE CHATEAUBRIAND (1768-1848) is also the author of Ren (1802) and Les Martyrs (1809), among other works. A passionate epicure, he lent his name to the cut of beef tenderloin now known as Chateaubriand.