Robert Briffault

Robert Stephen Briffault MC* ([ʁo.ˈbɛʁ stə.ˈfɑ̃ bʁi.ˈfo], 1874 – 11 December 1948) was a French surgeon who found fame as a social anthropologist and later in life as a novelist.

Briffault was born in either France or London, likely in 1874, the son of a French diplomat, Charles Frédéric Briffault (), and the Scottish Margaret Mann (née Stewart). He later cited his year of birth as 1876, likely to be young enough to enter the army in the First World War.

He spent time in France and elsewhere in Europe following his father. After the death of his father in 1887, Briffault and his mother moved to New Zealand. Briffault received his MB and ChB from the University of Dunedin in New Zealand and commenced medical practice. After service on the Western Front during the war, (where he was twice awarded the Military Cross)), he settled in England where he turned to the study of sociology and anthropology. He also lived for some time in the USA, and later Paris.

Briffault debated the institution of marriage with Bronisław Malinowski in the 1930s and corresponded with Bertrand Russell.

He died in Hastings, Sussex, England on 11 December 1948.

Asked how to pronounce his name, Briffault told The Literary Digest: "Should be pronounced bree'-foh, without attempting to give it a French pronunciation."

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