Background
Born to Russian parents in one of the Jewish agricultural settlements in Argentina, his parents took him back to Russia as an infant, and later settled in Paris when he was ten years old.
Born to Russian parents in one of the Jewish agricultural settlements in Argentina, his parents took him back to Russia as an infant, and later settled in Paris when he was ten years old.
Although he trained as an actor at the Conservatoire Dramatique and acted for a brief period in the Odéon Theater, he embarked upon a career in journalism at an early age, beginning to write for the Journal des Débats at the age of sixteen.
He volunteered for service when World War I broke out, and servedas a pilot and officer in the air force, receiving the Croix de Guerre and other military honors. After the war he wrote his first novel, L'equipage (“The Crew”), based upon his wartime experiences. The novel, published in 1922, became a best-seller in France. Another book, published the same year, was La steppe rouge, a collection of travel sketches.
He continued to write, becoming one of the most popular French authors between the two world wars. He published fifty novels and ten short stories in his lifetime, in addition to serving as a correspondent for a number of papers, including France-Soir and Le Figaro. Many of his books were adapted to the movie screen. In 1927 he received the grand prix du roman of the Académie Française for his novel Les coeurs purs (“The Pure Hearts”).
In 1939-1940 he worked as a war correspondent. When France was occupied by the Germans he escaped to London, where he served as an aide to General Charles de Gaulle, and as a captain in the Free French air force squadron.
Although he was not involved in Jewish life, he wrote a number of books on Zionism and Jcwish-related topics, including Terre d'amour (1927) and Terre de feu (1948) on the State of Israel, which were later combined into one volume, and Les mains du miracle on Himmler’s physiotherapist. Felix Kersten, who saved the lives of many Jews during the war. In 1964, upon election to the Academic Française, he stressed his pride in his Judaism in his first address.