François Mauriac

François Mauriac (French: [fʁɑəswa ʃaʁl moʁjak]; Occitan: Francés Carles Mauriac; October 11, 1885 – September 1, 1970) was a French novelist, playwright, critic, poet, and journalist, a member of the French Academy of Letters (since 1933), and winner of the 1952 Nobel Prize for Literature. He was awarded the Grand Cross of the French Legion of Honor in 1958. Mauriac was born in Bordeaux, France, and graduated from the Department of Literature at the University of Bordeaux in 1905. His main works include the poetry collection "Handshake" and the novel "The Desert of Love".