When he died in Paris in 1842 at the age of 59, Henri Marie Beyle - the author known as Stendhal - was underestimated and largely ignored even in his own country, despite the fact that his novels are now famous throughout the world. This biography traces his life from his early days in Grenoble through to his later time in Paris and Italy, and reveals a socially shy man who never gained entry into the fashionable Paris salons, yet who made intolerable emotional demands on his friends.