Dominique Marie Lapierre (1931–2022,) a French author, journalist, and philanthropist, collaborated with American journalist Larry Collins to capture the essence of beauty, hope, and peace amidst the challenges of war, poverty, and disease in a series of widely popular books.
Born in Châtelaillon-Plage, France, Lapierre’s extensive travels across North America at the age of 17, covering 30,000 miles, laid the groundwork for his debut book, Un Dollar les Mille Kilomètres (A Dollar for A Thousand Kilometers,) published in 1950. After further education at the Sorbonne and a Fulbright grant for political science at Lafayette College, Lapierre worked as a correspondent for Paris-Match, reporting on events in Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Algerian War for Independence.
Lapierre’s literary success took flight with his collaboration with Larry Collins on the best-selling book Is Paris Burning? (1965; later adapted into a film in 1966,) chronicling the liberation of Paris during World War II. This triumph was followed by acclaimed works like O Jerusalem! (1972; later filmed in 2006) and Freedom at Midnight (1975; adapted into the film Viceroy’s House, 2017,) delving into significant historical events and struggles for independence in Israel and India, respectively.
Beyond writing, Lapierre’s dedication to humanitarian causes led to the establishment of the City of Joy Foundation in Kolkata, India, in 1981. His extensive reporting from Kolkata inspired the novel City of Joy (1985,) selling over eight million copies and later adapted into a 1992 movie. Lapierre’s memoirs include Mille soleil (1999, A Thousand Suns) and India mon amour (2010.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Dominique Lapierre
What is not given is lost.
—Dominique Lapierre
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