MOSCOW, April 15 (RIA Novosti) - The famous writer and member of the French Academy Maurice Druon died on Tuesday at the age of 90.
Druon, born in Paris on April 23, 1918, had a Russian father.
In 1948, He was awarded one of the most prestigious prizes, the Prix Goncourt, for his historical novel The Great Families.
He served as France's culture minister in 1973-1974.
In 2007, the novelist became a foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who met Druon three times during his presidency, expressed his condolences on Wednesday to the family and friends of the deceased writer and the permanent secretary of the French Academy, Helene Carrere d'Encausse.
President Dmitry Medvedev also conveyed his condolences.
