Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio was born on 13 April 1940 in Nice. A French novelist and essayist, Le Clezio is known for restless, lyrical books that draw on his travels and on a sense of exile and wonder. Born in Nice into a family with roots in Mauritius, he made his debut with The Interrogation, which won the Prix Renaudot. His works include Desert, The Prospector and Wandering Star, and he wrote about indigenous cultures of the Americas and about childhood and nature. He spent years in Mexico, Panama and elsewhere, and taught in several countries. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2008, described as an author of new departures and poetic adventure.
Before and after
- 12 March 1940Moscow Peace Treaty
- 16 March 1940Death of Selma Lagerlöf
- 1 April 1940Birth of Wangari Muta Maathai
- from 9 April 1940 to 10 June 1940Operation Weserübung
- 13 April 1940Birth of Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio
- 16 April 1940Birth of Margrethe II of Denmark
- 25 April 1940Birth of Al Pacino
- from 10 May 1940 to 25 June 1940Battle of France
- from 10 May 1940 to 15 May 1940German invasion of the Netherlands
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