Maurice Druon

Maurice Druon (1918-2009) was a French novelist best known for his seven-volume historical series Les Rois maudits (The Accursed Kings), which chronicles the fall of the Capetian dynasty and inspired George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. He won the prestigious Prix Goncourt in 1948 for Les Grandes Familles, co-authored the French Resistance anthem "Chant des Partisans," served as Perpetual Secretary of the Académie française from 1985 to 1999, and held the position of Minister of Cultural Affairs.