Claude Simon was a French novelist and recipient of the 1985 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was born in Tananarive on the isle of Madagascar. His parents were French, and his father was a career officer who was killed in the First World War. He grew up with his mother and her family in Perpignan. Claude Simon published around 20 books written in a dense, autobiographical style. His 1960 novel La Route des Flandres, in which he recalled his experiences in the Second World War, is often considered his finest achievement.

- The Flanders Road 1960 novel en