Auguste Viatte appears as a witness of the twentieth century. Specialist in Romanticism, his thesis remains a reference book par excellence. He is a knowledgeable connoisseur of French literatures outside of France and co-directs the General Dictionary of the Francophonie. For his research, he undertakes great displacements and the passion of travel animates him even in his old age. He wants to immerse himself in the population of the countries visited.