Michel Déon (1919 –2016) is considered to have been one of the leading French writers of the 20th century and lived in Ireland from the 1970s until his death in 2016.

He published over 50 works of fiction and non-fiction and was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Prix Interallié(link is external) for his 1970 novel, Les Poneys sauvages(link is external) (The Wild Ponies). Déon’s 1973 novel Un taxi mauve(link is external) received the Grand Prix du roman de l’Académie française(link is external) and in 1978 he was elected to the Académie française(link is external).

To find out more about Michel Déon read this commerative booklet Michel Déon: un grand périple with kind permission of Professor Jane Conroy, University of Galway.