French author & Padma Bhushan awardee Dominique Lapierre passes away at 91

Dominique Lapierre, a French author and the Padma Bhushan awardee, whose novels sold tens of millions of copies, passed away on 4 December, his wife announced.

“At 91, he died of old age,” Dominique Conchon-Lapierre told the French newspaper Var-Matin on Sunday. She added that she is “at peace and serene since Dominique is no longer suffering”.

The notable author was born on 30 July 1931, in France’s Chatelaillon. He is revered by the readers for his books, including ‘City of Joy, ‘Is Paris Burning’, and ‘Five past Midnight in Bhopal’ among others.

The non-fiction book published in 1965 chronicled the events leading up to August 1944, when Nazi Germany surrendered control of the French capital, and was adapted for the silver screen by Francis Ford Coppola and Gore Vidal.

His 1985 novel “City of Joy” — about the hardships of a rickshaw puller in Kolkata — was also a massive success. A movie based on it was released in 1992, starring Patrick Swayze and directed by Roland Joffe.

Lapierre donated the bulk of his royalties from “City of Joy” to support humanitarian projects in India. In 2005, he said that thanks in part to this move, as well as donations from readers, it became “possible to cure a million tuberculosis patients in 24 years (and) to care for 9,000 children with leprosy”.

After “Is Paris Burning?,” he continued his fruitful partnership with Collins.

The duo authored “Or I’ll Dress You in Mourning” (1968), “O Jerusalem” (1972), “Freedom at Midnight” (1975), “The Fifth Horseman” (1980), and the thriller “Is New York Burning?”

For a long time, Lapierre lived near Collins in Saint-Tropez, their residences separated by a tennis court. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, which is India’s third highest civilian award in the year 2008.

(With inputs: AFP)

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