Jean de La Fontaine was a renowned French poet famous for his clever and entertaining Fables. His tales, such as The Ant and the Grasshopper, offer timeless lessons on life and human nature through charming animal characters and humor.
If you enjoy reading books by Jean de La Fontaine then you might also like the following authors:
If you enjoy Jean de La Fontaine's fables, you should definitely read Aesop, the ancient Greek storyteller who inspired generations with his simple yet wise tales. Aesop uses animals and everyday situations to teach powerful life lessons.
A famous example is The Tortoise and the Hare, emphasizing that steady and patient effort often leads to success over hasty arrogance.
Fans of La Fontaine might appreciate the Roman fabulist Phaedrus, who adapted and expanded on Aesop's moral tales. Through short, clever stories he delivers memorable lessons about human nature.
Check out his collection Fables of Phaedrus, which includes the clever "The Fox and the Grapes"—showing how people often belittle what they can't obtain.
If you like fables full of wisdom, you'll probably also enjoy Bidpai. His animal stories from ancient India are philosophical yet easy to relate to. His collection The Panchatantra contains engaging tales and useful moral insights into everyday life.
Stories like "The Monkey and the Crocodile" teach us about trust and friendship.
Marie de France brings readers delightful fables written in vivid verse, making her work similar in spirit to La Fontaine. Her fables often highlight human folly, kindness, and morality through entertaining narratives.
Her collection Fables is full of short poems that skillfully blend humor and wisdom, like "The Wolf and the Lamb," exploring themes of injustice and abuse of power.
Readers who enjoy the style and humor of La Fontaine will also find joy reading Florian's work. Florian's fables are witty yet elegant, presenting human nature and morals in an engaging, cheerful manner.
His collection Fables of Florian contains delightful stories, such as "The Monkey Who Shows the Magic Lantern," satirizing pride and vanity in an amusing and insightful way.
Ivan Krylov was a Russian fabulist who captured society's foibles with wit and simplicity, much like Jean de La Fontaine. Krylov favored animal characters to gently criticize human weaknesses and political issues.
One of his best-known works is Krylov's Fables, a lively collection of short moral stories told through animals that cleverly reflect human vices.
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing was a German writer and thinker, recognized for his clear and thoughtful fables. Like La Fontaine, he liked using brief, imaginative tales to highlight moral truths and explore human nature.
His collection Fables offers short but insightful stories about morality, human motivations, and social justice, presented with gentle wit.
Ambrose Bierce was an American writer whose sharp wit and dark humor distinguished his works. If you appreciate La Fontaine's tales for their satirical bite, you'll likely enjoy Bierce's Fantastic Fables.
His stories are concise, imaginative, and often cynical, satirizing human hypocrisy and weakness through unexpected twists and sharp punchlines.
James Thurber was an American humorist admired for his whimsical stories and playful style. Similar to La Fontaine, Thurber created animal fables to highlight human folly and absurdity with gentle humor.
His book Fables for Our Time mixes amusing animal tales and witty commentary to gently poke fun at modern society and its quirks.
George Orwell was an English writer famous for clear and pointed social commentary in novels, essays, and fables. Orwell shared La Fontaine's interest in using animals to reflect human society's flaws and power structures.
His best-known allegorical work, Animal Farm, powerfully critiques authoritarianism, corruption, and social injustice through a seemingly simple story about farm animals rebelling against their oppressors.
If you liked Jean de La Fontaine's fables, you'll enjoy Charles Perrault's fairy tales. Perrault uses clear, elegant prose to convey moral lessons through imaginative storytelling.
His stories blend everyday wisdom with fantasy, as seen in Cinderella, which captures essential truths about kindness, resilience, and virtue.
Fans of La Fontaine’s clarity and wit might appreciate Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux. Boileau’s style is precise and satirical, especially suited to literary criticism and poetry.
His book L'Art poétique outlines clear, practical rules for good writing and examines human nature through sharp insights.
Those who like the humor and moral observation in La Fontaine’s fables may find Molière appealing. Molière’s comedies, such as Tartuffe, use satire and lively dialogue to highlight society’s flaws, hypocrisy, and vanity.
His entertaining yet truthful portrayals encourage readers to consider broader moral issues through comedy.
Horace shares La Fontaine’s love for simplicity, moral reflection, and poetic expression. Writing centuries earlier, Horace’s lyric poetry balances thoughtful advice with enjoyment of everyday moments.
His collection Odes demonstrates this blend, encouraging moderation and wisdom in an accessible, graceful style.
If La Fontaine’s thoughtful approach to animals, nature, and human character appeals to you, Marianne Moore’s poetry may be intriguing. Moore combines precise, visual language and sharp observation of nature to explore deeper reflections on society and morality.
Her poem collection, Observations, invites readers to reconsider familiar animals and ideas, offering surprising insights and gentle wit.