Maurice Druon by Tamer Youssef

Maurice Druon (April 23, 1918 – April 14, 2009) was a French novelist and a member of the Académie française. Born in Paris, France, Druon was the nephew of the writer Joseph Kessel, with whom he wrote the Chant des Partisans, which, with music composed by Anna Marly, was used as an anthem by the French Resistance during World War II. In 1948 he received the Prix Goncourt for his novel Les grandes familles. He was elected to the 30th seat of L'Académie française on December 8, 1966, succeeding Georges Duhamel.
While his scholarly writing earned him a seat at the Académie, he is best known for a series of seven historical novels published in the 1950s under the title Les Rois Maudits (The Accursed Kings). He was Minister of Cultural Affairs (1973–1974) in Pierre Messmer's cabinet, and a deputy of Paris (1978–1981).