Anna de Noailles, born Anna Elisabeth Bassaraba de Brancovan on 15 November 1876 in Paris, came from a wealthy family. Her father, Grégoire Bibesco, was a Romanian nobleman, her mother Ralouka Musurus a pianist of Greek descent. Growing up in a multicultural environment, she received a comprehensive linguistic and artistic education. In 1897, she married Mathieu de Noailles, with whom she had a son, Anne Jules. As a central figure in Parisian cultural life, she ran a literary salon that attracted such greats as Marcel Proust, Colette and André Gide. Her lyrical works, including Le Cœur innombrable (1901) and Les Éblouissements (1907), thematised nature, love and transience. In 1904, she initiated the Prix Vie Heureuse (later Prix Femina) to honour literary works regardless of gender. In 1931, she was the first woman to be made a Commander of the Legion of Honour and was a member of the Académie royale de langue et de littérature françaises de Belgique. She died in Paris on 30 April 1933. Her work influenced French literature of the 20th century.