He was born in Clamecy, France. His family left Clamecy in 1880 so that he could study in Paris. Obtaining his doctorate from Paris University in 1895, he became a professor of music history at the same institution. Around that time, he started writing plays. After composing a few plays and biographies, he published ten volumes of Jean-Christophe, for which he won the 1915 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Who is he?