Henri Troyat

Henri Troyat (born November 1, 1911) is a French author, biographer, historian and novelist.

Born in Moscow, his family fled Russia in fear of the upcoming revolution. After a long exile, the family finally settled in Paris, where young Troyat attended college and studied law.

He won his first literary award at the age of 24, "le prix du roman populaire". At the age of 27 he was awarded the prestigious Prix Goncourt.

He has published more than 60 books, novels and biographies, among them those of Anton Chekov, Catherine the Great, Rasputin, Ivan the Terrible and Leo Tolstoy. He is a member of the Académie française.