Renowned French Author and Padma Bhushan awardee Dominique Lapierre has passed away of old age. He was 91. Dominique Lapierre had a special passion for India and his books on India like “Freedom at Midnight” and “City of Joy” sold tens of millions of copies.
“Freedom at Midnight” is true story of events surrounding Indian Independence starting with appointment of Lord Mountbatten of Burma as the last Viceroy of British India and ending with assassination and funeral of Mahatma Gandhi.
His 1985 “City of Joy” narrates hardships of a ricshaw puller in Kolkata and was converted to a move in 1982 starring Patrick Swayze, directed by Roland Joffe.
Lapierre sold about 50 million copies of six books that he wrote in collaboration with American writer Larry Collins, the most famous of which is “Is Paris Burning?”
Lapierre donated bulk of his royalties from “City of Joy” for humanitarian causes in India.
The end came from old-related illnesses. The news was broken by his wife Dominque Conchon-Lapierre who also added that she is “at peace and serene since Dominique is no longer suffering.”
