Background
He is, after FrédéricFrederic Mistral, the most widely read ProvençalProvencal writer in England and the United States. His first work, Li CarbouniéCarbounie (1876; "The Charcoal-Burners"), a robust depiction of peasant life, was an immediate success. It was followed by Toloza (1881; "Toulouse"), an epic dealing with the life of Simon de Montfort, and by Gras' finest work, Lou Roumancero provençauprovencau (1887), a notable collection of ballads and romances from local history. Li Papalino (1891; "Tales of Papal Avignon") and a trilogy, Le ProvençalProvencal (1896-1900), are among his principal prose works. He died in Avignon on Mar. 4, 1901.
