J. M. G. Le Clézio

Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, usually known as J. M. G. Le Clézio, holds French, Mauritian, and British nationality. Born on 13 April 1940 in Nice, France, he is a prolific writer who has authored over forty works including novels, short stories, essays, and children's books. His family background blends Breton roots with colonial ties: his paternal ancestor settled in Mauritius in 1798, and Le Clézio regards both France and Mauritius as his homelands. His literary career debuted at age twenty-three with the 1963 novel Le Procès-Verbal (The Interrogation), winning the Prix Renaudot. Notable works include Désert (1980), Le Chercheur d'or (1985), and Onitsha (1991). Initially experimental, his style later embraced themes of childhood, travel, and humanity beyond civilisation. In 2008 he received the Nobel Prize in Literature for 'new departures, poetic adventure and sensual ecstasy, explorer of a humanity beyond and below the reigning civilization.'