Abstract: Alphonse Daudet occupies an enviable place in our literary pantheon. However, our image of the man and his work no longer coincides with that of the readers of his time; the immense literary success of Les Lettres de mon moulin in the twentieth century is the result of a misunderstanding that needs to be cleared up. This paper retraces the steps that led Daudet to glory, then focuses on describing and analyzing the progressive oblivion into which the novelist fell, before examining the signs of a possible exit from purgatory.
