Romain Gary

"In Romain Gary: The Man Who Sold His Shadow, Ralph Schoolcraft explores the extraordinary career of the modern French author, film director, and diplomat - a romantic and tragic figure whose fictions extended well beyond his books. Born Roman Kacew, he overcame an impoverished boyhood to become a French Resistance hero and win the coveted Goncourt Prize under the pseudonym - and largely invented persona - Romain Gary. Although he published such acclaimed works as The Roots of Heaven and Promise at Dawn, the Gaullist traditions that he defended in the world of French letters fell from favor,…