Life Before Us

Émile Ajar was the nom de plume of Romain Gary, one of the most important French writers of the 20th century. He was married to the American actress Jean Seberg and served in the RAF during WW2. He won the once-in-a-lifetime honour the Prix Goncourt twice, the only person ever to have done so - once as Gary and once as Ajar, for the novel The Life Before Us. Gary died in Paris in 1980 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, leaving behind a note revealing Ajar's true identity.