Sorj Chalandon is a French writer and journalist. From 1973 until 2007 he worked as a journalist on Libération

Libération

Libération is a French daily newspaper founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968. Originally a leftist newspaper, it has undergone a number of shifts during the 1980s and 1990s...

where, among other things, he covered events in Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan. In 1988 he received the Albert Londres Prize

Albert Londres Prize

The Albert Londres Prize is a French journalism award, named in honor of journalist Albert Londres. Created in 1932, it was first awarded in 1933, and has been awarded every year since to the "best reporter in the written press"...

 for his articles on Northern Ireland and the Klaus Barbie

Klaus Barbie

Nikolaus 'Klaus' Barbie was an SS-Hauptsturmführer , Gestapo member and war criminal. He was known as the Butcher of Lyon.- Early life :...

 trial. Since then he has worked for the satirical-investigative newspaper Le Canard enchaîné

Le Canard enchaîné

Le Canard enchaîné is a satirical newspaper published weekly in France. Founded in 1915, it features investigative journalism and leaks from sources inside the French government, the French political world and the French business world, as well as many jokes and humorous cartoons.-Early...

. His second novel, La promesse (2006), won the Prix Médicis

Prix Médicis

The Prix Médicis is a French literary award given each year in November. It was founded in 1958 by Gala Barbisan and Jean-Pierre Giraudoux. It is awarded to an author whose "fame does not yet match his talent."...

. His 2011 novel Return to Killybegs

Return to Killybegs

Return to Killybegs is a 2011 novel by the French writer Sorj Chalandon. The narrative is inspired by the 2006 murder of Denis Donaldson, a senior Sinn Féin member who was revealed as a British secret agent. Chalandon had befriended Donaldson while working as a journalist in Belfast...

won the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française

Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française

Le Grand Prix du Roman is a French literary award, created in 1918, and given each year by the Académie française. Along with the Prix Goncourt, it is one of the oldest and most prestigious literary awards in France...

 and was shortlisted for the Prix Goncourt

Prix Goncourt

The Prix Goncourt is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year"...

.