Ромен Гари, хамелеон

Мириам Анисимов writes about Romain Gary’s life. She also explores the myths he helped create. The book covers his work as a writer and screenwriter. It follows his life as a diplomat and pilot, too. It covers his role in the French Resistance and his love life. It is for readers drawn to writers’ lives and hidden names.

Gary wrote under more than one name. These included Roman Kacew, Fosco Sinibaldi, Shatan Bogat and Émile Ajar. He alone won the Prix Goncourt twice. His works helped spread tales about his own past. This life story seeks to sort those tales from facts.

The book also traces how Russian readers first met his work. This came in 1988, through Ajar’s novel The Life Before Us. Its preface called him the son of a Moscow actress. It said he left Russia with her in 1921.