Romain Gary, La Vie devant soi [The Life Before Us]

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In the nineteen seventies, Romain Gary, a well-established French author, was at the height of his fame. He had already published twenty-four novels, many of which were best-sellers. He was a decorated war hero, a

Chevalier de la légion d’honneur

, and a French diplomat at the United Nations. He had also received the “Prix Goncourt” in 1956 for his novel

Les Racines du ciel.

He led a glamorous lifestyle in the upscale “7e arondissement” at la Rue du Bac in Paris; was married to the famous American film star Jean Seberg; and had many friends in Hollywood. Yet, despite all these outward signs of success, Romain Gary felt underappreciated as a writer. Wanting to reinvent himself, he published four novels under the assumed name of Émile Ajar with the

Mercure de France

. He…

4756 words

Citation: Tirven-Gadum, Vina. "La Vie devant soi". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 March 2014 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=32697, accessed 28 March 2024.]

32697 La Vie devant soi 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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