Romain Gary — Russian Novelist born on May 08, 1914, died on December 02, 1980

Romain Gary, born Roman Kacew and also known by other pen names such as Émile Ajar, was a French diplomat, novelist, film director and World War II aviator of Litvak origin. He is the only author to have won the Prix Goncourt twice... (wikipedia)

The avantgarde are people who don't exactly know where they want to go, but are the first to get there.
Humor is an affirmation of dignity, a declaration of man's superiority to all that befalls him.