Romain Gary (; 2 December 1980), born Roman Kacew () and also known by the pen name Émile Ajar, was a French novelist, diplomat, film director, and World War II

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they a ...

. He is the only author to have won the

Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt ( , "The Goncourt Prize") is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward of only 10 euros, but resul ...

twice (once under a pseudonym). He is considered a major writer of

French literature French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by French people, French citizens; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of Franc ...

of the second half of the 20th century. He was married to

Lesley Blanch Lesley Blanch (6 June 19047 May 2007) was a British writer and traveller. She is best known for '' The Wilder Shores of Love'', about Isabel Burton (who married the Arabist and explorer Richard), Jane Digby el-Mezrab (Lady Ellenborough, the so ...

, then Jean Seberg.

Early life

Gary was born Roman Kacew ( ''Roman Katsev'', , ''Roman Leibovich Katsev'') in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

(at that time in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

). In his books and interviews, he presented many different versions of his parents' origins, ancestry, occupation and his own childhood. His mother, Mina Owczyńska (1879—1941), was a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

actress from

Švenčionys Švenčionys (; ; known also by several Švenčionys#Etymology, alternative names) is a city in eastern Lithuania, and capital of the Švenčionys district municipality, located north of Vilnius. , it had a population of 4,065 of which about 17% ...

(Svintsyán) and his father was a businessman named Arieh-Leib Kacew (1883—1942) from

Trakai Trakai (; see Trakai#Names and etymology, names section for alternative and historic names) is a city and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies west of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania or just from the administrative limits of the Lithuanian capi ...

(Trok), also a Lithuanian Jew. The couple divorced in 1925 and Arieh-Leib remarried. Gary later claimed that his actual father was the celebrated actor and film star Ivan Mosjoukine, with whom his actress mother had worked and to whom he bore a striking resemblance. Mosjoukine appears in his memoir ''

Promise at Dawn A promise is a commitment by someone to do or not do something. As a noun ''promise'' means a declaration assuring that one will or will not do something. As a verb it means to commit oneself by a promise to do or give. It can also mean a capacity ...

''. Deported to central Russia in 1915, they stayed in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

until 1920. They later returned to

, then moved on to

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

. When Gary was fourteen, he and his mother emigrated illegally to

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Gary studied law, first in

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence, or simply Aix, is a List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, city and Communes of France, commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, it is the Subprefectures in France, s ...

and then in Paris. He learned to pilot an aircraft in the

French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air force, air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the Fr ...

Salon-de-Provence Salon-de-Provence (, ; or , ), commonly known as Salon, is a commune located about northwest of Marseille in the Bouches-du-Rhône department (Metropolis of Aix-Marseille Provence), region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Southern France. It ...

and in Avord Air Base, near

Bourges Bourges ( ; ; ''Borges'' in Berrichon) is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre (Cher), Yèvre. It is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Cher (department), Cher, and also was the capital city of the former provin ...

Career

Despite completing all parts of his course successfully, Gary was the only one of almost 300 cadets in his class not to be commissioned as an officer. He believed the military establishment was distrustful of him because he was a foreigner and a

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

. Training on Potez 25 and Goëland Léo-20 aircraft, and with 250 hours flying time, only after three months' delay was he made a

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

on 1 February 1940. Lightly wounded on 13 June 1940 in a Bloch MB.210, he was disappointed with the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

; after hearing General

de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

's radio

appeal In law, an appeal is the process in which Legal case, cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of cla ...

, he decided to go to England. After failed attempts, he flew to

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

from Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque in a

Potez Potez (pronounced ) was a French aircraft manufacturer founded as Aéroplanes Henry Potez by Henry Potez at Aubervilliers in 1919 in aviation, 1919. The firm began by refurbishing war-surplus SEA IV aircraft, but was soon building new examples of ...

. Made

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

upon joining the

Free French Free France () was a resistance government claiming to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third French Republic, Third Republic during World War II. Led by General , Free France was established as a gover ...

and serving on

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until the end of the war. ...

s, he saw action across Africa and was promoted to second lieutenant. He returned to England to train on Boston IIIs. On 25 January 1944, his pilot was blinded, albeit temporarily, and Gary talked him to the bombing target and back home, the third landing being successful. This and the subsequent

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

interview and ''

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

'' newspaper article were an important part of his career. He finished the war as a captain in the London offices of the

Free French Air Forces The Free French Air Forces (, FAFL) were the air arm of the Free French Forces in the Second World War, created by Charles de Gaulle in 1940. The designation ceased to exist in 1943 when the Free French Forces merged with General Giraud's force ...

. As a bombardier-observer in the ''Groupe de bombardement Lorraine'' (No. 342 Squadron RAF), he took part in over 25 successful sorties, logging over 65 hours of air time. During this time, he changed his name to Romain Gary. He was decorated for his bravery in the war, receiving many medals and honours, including Compagnon de la Libération and commander of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. In 1945 he published his first novel, ''Éducation européenne''. Immediately following his service in the war, he worked in the French diplomatic service in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

and Switzerland. In 1952 he became the secretary of the French Delegation to the United Nations. In 1956, he became

Consul General A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and became acquainted with Hollywood.

As Émile Ajar

In a memoir published in 1981, Paul Pavlowitch claimed that Gary also produced several works under the pseudonym Émile Ajar. Gary recruited Pavlowitch – his cousin's son – to portray Ajar in public appearances, allowing Gary to remain unknown as the true producer of the Ajar works, and thus enabling him to win the 1975 Goncourt Prize (a second win in violation of the prize's rules). Gary also published under the pseudonyms Shatan Bogat and Fosco Sinibaldi.

Literary work

Gary became one of France's most popular and prolific writers, writing more than 30 novels, essays and memoirs, some of which he wrote under a pseudonym. He is the only person to win the

twice. This prize for French language literature is awarded only once to an author. Gary, who had already received the prize in 1956 for '' Les racines du ciel'', published '' La vie devant soi'' under the pseudonym Émile Ajar in 1975. The

Académie Goncourt The Société littéraire des Goncourt (, ''Goncourt Literary Society''), usually called the Académie Goncourt (, Goncourt Academy), is a French literary organisation based in Paris. It was founded in 1882 by the French writer and publisher Edmo ...

awarded the prize to the author of that book without knowing his identity. Gary's cousin's son Paul Pavlowitch posed as the author for a time. Gary later revealed the truth in his posthumous book ''Vie et mort d'Émile Ajar''. Gary also published as Shatan Bogat, René Deville and Fosco Sinibaldi, as well under his birth name Roman Kacew. In addition to his success as a novelist, he wrote the screenplay for the motion picture '' The Longest Day'' and co-wrote and directed the film Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! (1971), which starred his wife at the time, Jean Seberg. In 1979, he was a member of the jury at the 29th Berlin International Film Festival.

Diplomatic career

After the end of the hostilities, Gary began a career as a

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

in the service of France, in consideration of his contribution to the liberation of the country. In this capacity, he held positions in Bulgaria (1946–1947), Paris (1948–1949), Switzerland (1950–1951), New York (1951–1954) at the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations. Here, he regularly rubbed shoulders with the Jesuit Teilhard de Chardin, whose personality deeply marked him and inspired him, particularly for the character of Father Tassin in '' Les Racines du ciel''. He was positioned in London 1955, and as Consul General of France in Los Angeles 1956–1960. Back in Paris, he remained unassigned until he was laid off from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1961).

Personal life and final years

Gary's first wife was the British writer,

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, and '' Vogue'' editor

, author of '' The Wilder Shores of Love''. They married in 1944 and divorced in 1961. From 1962 to 1970, Gary was married to American actress Jean Seberg, with whom he had a son, Alexandre Diego Gary. According to Diego Gary, he was a distant presence as a father: "Even when he was around, my father wasn't there. Obsessed with his work, he used to greet me, but he was elsewhere." After learning that Jean Seberg had had an affair with

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...

, Gary challenged him to a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...

, but Eastwood declined. Gary died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on 2 December 1980 in Paris. He left a note which said that his death had no relation to Seberg's suicide the previous year. He also stated in his note that he was Émile Ajar.D. Bona, Romain Gary, Paris, Mercure de France-Lacombe, 1987, p. 397–398. Gary was cremated in

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...

and his ashes were scattered in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

near

Roquebrune-Cap-Martin Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (; or ; ; ), simply Roquebrune until 1921, is a Communes of France, commune in the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region, Southeastern France, betw ...

.Beyern, B., ''Guide des tombes d'hommes célèbres'', Le Cherche Midi, 2008,

Legacy

The name of Romain Gary was given to a promotion of the

École nationale d'administration The (; ENA; ) was a French ''grande école'', created in 1945 by the then Provisional Government of the French Republic, provisional chief of government Charles de Gaulle and principal co-author of the Constitution of France, 1958 Constitution M ...

(2003–2005), the Institut d'études politiques de Lille (2013), the Institut régional d'administration de Lille (2021–2022) and the Institut d'études politiques de Strasbourg (2001–2002), in 2006 at Place Romain-Gary in the

15th arrondissement of Paris The 15th arrondissement of Paris () is one of the 20 arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as ('the fifteenth'). The 15th arrondissement, called , is situated on the Rive ...

and at the Nice Heritage Library. The French Institute in Jerusalem also bears the name of Romain Gary. On 16 May 2019, his work appeared in two volumes in the Bibliothèque de la Pléiade under the direction of Mireille Sacotte. In 2007, a statue of Romualdas Kvintas, «The Boy with a Galoche», was unveiled, depicting the 9-year-old little hero of the Promise of Dawn, preparing to eat a shoe to seduce his little neighbor, Valentina. It is placed in

, in front of the Basanavičius, where the novelist lived. A plaque to his name is affixed in the Pouillon building of the Faculty of Law and Political Science of Aix-Marseille where he studied. In 2022, Denis Ménochet portrayed Gary in '' White Dog (Chien blanc)'', a film adaptation by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette of Gary's 1970 book.

Bibliography

As Romain Gary

* ' (1945); translated as '' Forest of Anger'' * ' (1946); republished and modified in 1970. * '' Le Grand Vestiaire'' (1949); translated as ''The Company of Men'' (1950) * '' Les Couleurs du jour'' (1952); translated as '' The Colors of the Day'' (1953); filmed as '' The Man Who Understood Women'' (1959) * '' Les Racines du ciel'' — ''1956 Prix Goncourt''; translated as '' The Roots of Heaven'' (1957); filmed as '' The Roots of Heaven'' (1958) * '' Lady L'' (1958); self-translated and published in French in 1963; filmed as '' Lady L'' (1965) * ''La Promesse de l'aube'' (1960); translated as ''

'' (1961); filmed as ''

'' (1970) and ''

'' (2017) * '' Johnie Cœur'' (1961, a theatre adaptation of "L'homme à la colombe") * '' Gloire à nos illustres pionniers'' (1962, short stories); translated as "Hissing Tales" (1964) * '' The Ski Bum'' (1965); self-translated into French as ''Adieu Gary Cooper'' (1969) * '' Pour Sganarelle'' (1965, literary essay) * '' Les Mangeurs d'étoiles'' (1966); self-translated into French and first published (in English) as '' The Talent Scout'' (1961) * '' La Danse de Gengis Cohn'' (1967); self-translated into English as '' The Dance of Genghis Cohn'' * '' La Tête coupable'' (1968); translated as ''The Guilty Head'' (1969) * ''Chien blanc'' (1970); self-translated as '' White Dog'' (1970); filmed as '' White Dog'' (1982) * '' Les Trésors de la mer Rouge'' (1971) * '' Europa'' (1972); translated in English in 1978. * '' The Gasp'' (1973); self-translated into French as ''Charge d'âme'' (1978) * '' Les Enchanteurs'' (1973); translated as ''The Enchanters'' (1975) * ''

La nuit sera calme LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

'' (1974, interview) * '' Au-delà de cette limite votre ticket n'est plus valable'' (1975); translated as ''Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid'' (1977); filmed as '' Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid'' (1981) * '' Clair de femme'' (1977); filmed as '' Womanlight'' (1979) * '' La Bonne Moitié'' (1979, play) * '' Les Clowns lyriques'' (1979); new version of the 1952 novel, ''Les Couleurs du jour'' (''The Colors of the Day'') * '' Les Cerfs-volants'' (1980); translated as The Kites (2017) * '' Vie et Mort d'Émile Ajar'' (1981, posthumous) * '' L'Homme à la colombe'' (1984, definitive posthumous version) * '' L'Affaire homme'' (2005, articles and interviews) * '' L'Orage'' (2005, short stories and unfinished novels) * '' Un humaniste'', short story

As Émile Ajar

* '' Gros câlin'' (1974); illustrated by

Jean-Michel Folon Jean-Michel Folon (1 March 1934 – 20 October 2005) was a Belgian artist, illustrator, painter, and sculptor. Early life Folon was born on 1 March 1934 in Uccle, Brussels, in 1934. He studied architecture at the Institut Saint-Luc. Career T ...

, filmed as '' Gros câlin'' (1979) * '' La Vie devant soi'' — ''1975 Prix Goncourt''; filmed as '' Madame Rosa'' (1977); translated as "Momo" (1978); re-released as '' The Life Before Us'' (1986). Filmed as '' The Life Ahead'' (2020) * '' Pseudo'' (1976) * '' L'Angoisse du roi Salomon'' (1979); translated as ''King Solomon'' (1983). * '' Gros câlin'' – new version including final chapter of the original and never published version.

As Fosco Sinibaldi

* '' L'homme à la colombe'' (1958)

As Shatan Bogat

* '' Les têtes de Stéphanie'' (1974)

Filmography

As screenwriter

*1958: '' The Roots of Heaven'' *1962: '' The Longest Day'' *1978: '' La vie devant soi''

As actor

*1936: '' Nitchevo'' – Le jeune homme au bastingage *1967: '' The Road to Corinth'' – (uncredited) (final film role)

As director

*1968: '' Birds in Peru'' (''Birds in Peru'') starring Jean Seberg *1971: '' Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!'' also starring Jean Seberg

In popular culture

*2019: '' Seberg'' , joué par

Yvan Attal Yvan Attal (; ; born ) is a French actor, scriptwriter and film director. Life and career Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, to History of the Jews in Algeria, Algerian-Jewish parents, he grew up in the outskirts of Paris. His acting debut was in Éri ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gary, Romain 1914 births 1980 deaths Film people from Vilnius People from Vilensky Uyezd French people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent 20th-century Lithuanian Jews Jews from the Russian Empire 20th-century French diplomats 20th-century French novelists French male novelists Jewish novelists Postmodern writers 20th-century French male writers Prix Goncourt winners French Royal Air Force pilots of World War II Suicides by firearm in France 1980 suicides Jewish writers from Vilnius French Resistance members Polish emigrants to France

Early life

Career

As Émile Ajar

Literary work

Diplomatic career

Personal life and final years

Legacy

Bibliography

As Romain Gary

As Émile Ajar

As Fosco Sinibaldi

As Shatan Bogat

Filmography

As screenwriter

As actor

As director

In popular culture

References

Further reading

External links