Michel Déon
Michel Déon was a French novelist and playwright. He adopted the nom de plume Michel Déon, and made it his official name in octobre 1965. He has published over 50 works and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Prix Interallié for his 1970 novel, Les Poneys sauvages (The Wild Ponies). Déon's 1973 novel Un taxi mauve received the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française. His novels have been translated into numerous languages.
In 1978, Déon was elected to the Académie française. Déon is an affiliate member of the Portuguese Academy of Science and Letters. He is a doctor honoris causa at the universities of Athens and Ireland. He is also an honorary citizen of Nice, Aix-en-Provence, and Antibes. His works have been translated into many languages.
Déon and his wife Chantal raised their two children, Alice and Alexandre, on the small Greek island of Spetsai. When the children reached school age in 1968, France was in a state of upheaval. The Déon family settled in Ireland. For over forty years, Déon and his family have made Ireland their home, raising Chantal's fifty horses.
“«Vient un moment de la vie - mais lequel ? il diffère pour chacun, très tôt pour les uns, très tard pour les autres, parfois jamais pour de rares élus comblés, mourant les mains, la mémoire et le cœur pleins -, vient donc un moment de la vie où nous nous apercevons que les amitiés, les amours, les sentiments et jusqu'aux lieux et aux mots que nous croyons perdre par une maladresse déprimante, en réalité nous quittent d'eux mêmes, animés d'une sournoise volonté de fuite.» La Montée du soir”