Romain Gary

Romain Gary
Gary in 1961
Born
Roman Leibovich Kacew

(1914-05-21)21 May 1914
Vilnius, Vilna Governorate, Russian Empire
(present-day Lithuania)
Died2 December 1980(1980-12-02) (aged 66)
Paris, France
Pen nameÉmile Ajar, Fosco Sinibaldi, Shatan Bogat
OccupationDiplomat, pilot, writer
LanguageFrench, English, Polish, Russian, Yiddish
Citizenship
  • Russian Empire (until 1917)
  • Republic of Poland
  • France (after 1935)
EducationLaw
Alma materFaculté de droit d'Aix-en-Provence
Paris Law Faculty
Period1945–1979
GenreNovel
Notable worksLes Racines du ciel
La Vie devant soi
Notable awardsPrix Goncourt (1956 and 1975)
Spouse
(m. 1944; div. 1961)
(m. 1962; div. 1970)
Children1
Military career
Allegiance France
Free France
BranchFrench Air Force
Free French Air Forces
Service years1938-1940 (France)
1940-1945 (Free France)
RankCaptain
UnitGroupe de Bombardement n° 1/20 "Lorraine"

Literature portal

Romain Gary (born Roman Leibovich Kacew; 21 May [O.S. 8 May] 1914 – 2 December 1980), also known by the pen name Émile Ajar, was a Lithuanian-born French novelist, diplomat, film director, and military aviator. He is the only author to have won the Prix Goncourt twice (once under a pen name). He is considered a major writer of French literature of the second half of the 20th century.