About François-René de Chateaubriand François-René de Chateaubriand (1768-1848) was a French writer, politician, diplomat and historian. He is considered the founder of Romanticism in French literature. Books by François-René de Chateaubriand René by (author) François-René de Chateaubriand edited by R.D. Finch & C.R. Parsons René by (author) François-René de Chateaubriand edited by R.D. Finch & C.R. Parsons