Romain Gary (born Roman Leibovich Kacew; 21 May [O.S. 8 May] 1914 – 2 December 1980), also known by the pen name Émile Ajar, was a Lithuanian-born French novelist, diplomat, film director, and military aviator. He is the only author to have won the Prix Goncourt twice (once under a pen name). He is considered a major writer of French literature of the second half of the 20th century. (Via Wikipedia)