French · 1924–2016
French novelist who rewrote myths with philosophical intensity. Born in Paris, educated in philosophy, he turned to fiction in his forties after careers in radio and publishing. Friday, or, The Other Island reimagines Robinson Crusoe from a mythical perspective. The Ogre follows a French POW in Nazi Germany who becomes entangled with the regime. His novels combine adventure narrative with ideas about nature, childhood, and transcendence. He won the Prix Goncourt and the Grand prix du roman de l'Académie française. The prose is lucid; the thinking is deep.