Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio was born in Nice, France, in 1940. His father served as a surgeon in Africa under the command of the British Army. Le Clézio began writing at the age of seven or eight and never stopped, despite the numerous trips he made. At the age of 23 he received the prestigious Renaudot Prize. He published more than thirty books, between narrative and essays. He also did translations. In 1980 he was the first to receive the Paul Morand Prize, awarded by the French Academy. In 1994 Le Clézio was chosen as the greatest living writer of the French language. And in 2008 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.