Born in 1925 and died in 2017, Jean d'Ormesson is a French writer, journalist and philosopher. He wrote many novels and essays. He succeeded Jules Romain at the Académie Française in 1973. His strong media presence makes him a well known figure in French literature. He was made Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor in 2014 by the President of the Republic François Hollande. He has received numerous literary awards, including the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie Française in 1975 for La Gloire de l'Empire, the Grand Prix RTL-Lire in 1994 for La Douane de mer, and the Prix Chateaubriand for the whole of his work.