5 Points On Dominique Lapierre, 'The City Of Joy' Author Who Died At 91

Dominique Lapierre was born on July 30, 1931, in Chatelaillon to a diplomat father and journalist mother. He initially worked as a reporter for French magazine Paris-Match in the 1950s -- a job that sent him around the world. He lived most of his life in the French Riviera town of Ramatuelle with Conchon-Lapierre, his wife of 56 years.

The author had a special bond with India and spent a lot of time in Kolkata. In 1985, he wrote a book called 'City of Joy' that described the struggles of a rickshaw puller in Kolkata. It was later adapted into a film starring Patrick Swayze in 1992. A lot of Lapierre's royalty from 'City of Joy' was also donated to charitable projects in India. 

The author has sold about 50 million copies of the six books he wrote in collaboration with the American writer Larry Collins. Apart from 'City of Joy', Mr Lapierre is well known for books like 'Is Paris Burning?', 'Freedom at Midnight', 'O Jerusalem ', Five Past Midnight in Bhopal: The Epic Story of the World's Deadliest Industrial Disaster, and 'The Fifth Horseman'.

In 2005, the author said that thanks in part to his charitable contributions, as well as donations from readers, it became "possible to cure a million tuberculosis patients in 24 years and to care for 9,000 children with leprosy".

Mr Lapierre was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, in 2008.