Henri Troyat

Henri Troyat (1911-2007), a member of the French Academy, was born in Moscow and became renowned primarily as a novelist and biographer. Following the Russian Revolution, his family was expelled from Russia—his father was a wealthy merchant—and through very challenging circumstances, from Moscow to the Caucasus, Crimea, Constantinople, and Venice, they eventually sought refuge in Paris in 1920. Henri attended a French school, the Lycée Pasteur in Neuilly, and completed his studies in law. After obtaining French citizenship, he enlisted in the army. Before his discharge, in 1935, his first book, "Faux jour," was published and won the Prix du Roman Populiste. This was followed by works such as "Le Vivier," "Grandeur nature," "La Clef de voute," and in 1938, he received the Max Barthou Prize from the French Academy for his body of work up to that point, as well as the Goncourt Prize the same year for his new novel "L' Araigne" ("The Spider," Greek edition by Grigoris, 1970, etc.). In 1940, he retired permanently from his job in public administration to dedicate himself to writing. In 1952, he was honored with the Grand Prix de Littérature of the Prince of Monaco, and in 1959, he was inducted into the French Academy. Other well-known works of his include: "Terrible tsarinas" (1998), "La fille de l' ecrivain" (2001), "Marina Tsvetaeva" (2001), "L' Etage des bouffons" (2002). He passed away in Paris on March 2, 2007.