Collection: Romain Gary

Romain Gary was born Roman Kacew on May 21, 1914, in Vilnius, then part of the Russian Empire. Raised by his mother Mina, who instilled in him boundless ambition, he left Poland for Nice in 1928. He studied law in Aix-en-Provence and then in Paris, obtaining French nationality in 1935. The war made him a hero. As a pilot, he joined the Free French Air Forces, served in Africa and England, and received the Cross of Liberation. This experience inspired his first novel, "Éducation européenne" (European Education), published in London in 1945. After the war, he embarked on a diplomatic career: consul in Los Angeles, spokesperson at the UN, he served France for over fifteen years while continuing to publish.

In 1956, The Roots of Heaven, a plea for the conservation of African elephants and the first major ecological novel, earned him the Prix Goncourt. In 1960, Promise at Dawnrecounted his youth and his mother's story, blending memory with legend. Married to actress Jean Seberg from 1963 to 1970, he also directed two films.

From 1974, Gary published under the name Émile Ajar. "La Vie devant soi" (The Life Before Us) received the Goncourt in 1975: thus, unbeknownst to the jury, he became the only writer to win the award twice, as the rules prohibited it. He had his cousin Paul Pavlowitch impersonate Ajar and maintained the hoax until the end. Romain Gary committed suicide in Paris on December 2, 1980. A posthumous text, "Vie et mort d’Émile Ajar" (Life and Death of Émile Ajar), revealed the deception.

His work, divided between his two names, rests on a single conviction: the defense of human dignity against History and its violence. From "Éducation européenne" to the four novels signed Ajar, including "Les Cerfs-volants" (The Kites), his last book, Gary blends picaresque elements, emotion, and irony. The KOEGUI bookstore features his original editions, as well as an autograph manuscript from his youth, in its catalog.

• Which original editions of Romain Gary are the most sought after?
  "Éducation européenne" (1945), "Les Racines du ciel" (1956) and "La Promesse de l’aube" (1960) are the most requested. Under the name Ajar, "La Vie devant soi" (1975) and "Gros-Câlin" (1974) are also highly sought after, especially in large paper editions with dedications.
• How to identify an original edition of "La Vie devant soi"?
  The original edition was published in 1975 by Mercure de France under the name Émile Ajar. The title page does not mention Romain Gary. The collation and the printer's colophon allow distinguishing the first printing from subsequent reprints.
• How to get an original edition of Romain Gary appraised?
  Send a photograph of the title page, any dedication, and the binding. As members of SLAM, we provide free appraisals.

Gary shares with Joseph Kessel and André Malrauxa commitment to Free France and prose enriched by vast landscapes, and with Patrick Modiano an obsessive relationship with memory and identity. Our original 20th-century editions bring together their most sought-after works.