André Paul Guillaume Gide (22 November 1869 – 19 February 1951) was a celebrated French writer and author, renowned for his extensive body of work spanning various styles and topics. He was awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature in 1947.

Gide's literary career began within the symbolist movement, and he later became a critic of imperialism, notably between the two World Wars. The author of more than fifty books, Gide was described in his New York Times obituary as "France's greatest contemporary man of letters" and "judged the greatest French writer of this century by the literary cognoscenti."

Known for both his fiction and autobiographical works, Gide articulated the conflict and eventual reconciliation of the two sides of his personality: a Protestant austerity and a transgressive sexual adventurousness. His works serve as an exploration of freedom and empowerment amidst moralistic and puritanical constraints, striving for intellectual honesty.

Politically, Gide initially sympathized with Communism during the 1930s, in line with many intellectuals of the time. However, following his 1936 visit to the USSR, he turned towards the anti-Stalinist left. By the 1940s, he shifted to more traditional values, ultimately repudiating Communism as a departure from Christian civilization's traditions.