Michel del Castillo

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Michel del Castillo (2 August 1933 – 17 December 2024) was a French writer. He was born in Madrid; his father was French and his mother Spanish. During World War II he and his mother were sent to the Rieucros camp in Mende, which gave him a strong bond with that town, later honored by naming a school after him. He studied politics and psychology before turning to literature. Influenced by Miguel de Unamuno and Fyodor Dostoevsky, his work won several prizes: Le Silence des Pierres — Prix Chateaubriand (1975); La nuit du Décret — Renaudot (1981); Rue des Archives — Prix Maurice Genevoix (1994); Mon frère l’Idiot — Prix de l’Écrit Intime (1995); Colette, une Certaine France — Prix Femina essai (1999). In 1997 he joined the Académie royale de langue et de littérature françaises de Belgique, succeeding Georges Duby. He enjoyed travel and classical music and even considered becoming a pianist. He died on 17 December 2024 at 91.