Daniel Pennac

Born in Casablanca in 1941, he is one France's most loved and read authors, selling more than nine million books in eighteen languages.
His father was in the military and he spent his childhood in a number of countries in southern Africa and south-east Asia. His growing up was marked by his problems at school, a painful experience that Pennac recounts in his book Chagrin d'école, whilst paying homage to his teachers who saved him from failing.
Once he graduated, Pennac started working as a language and literature teacher in a lycée in Paris, an experience that inspired him to write his famous essay on reading, Comme un roman (1993) and now Chagrin d'école, a work in favour of education.
Other works of his include Monsieur Malaussène (1995), Messieurs les enfants (1997), Write to Kill (1989), Passion Fruit (1999), Le Dicatateur et le hamac (2003).