born Nov. 3, 1901, Paris, France
died Nov. 23, 1976, Paris
French novelist, art historian, and statesman.
Imprisoned at age 21 by French colonial authorities while on an archaeological expedition in Cambodia, Malraux grew to be a fervent anticolonialist and advocate for social change. He became involved with revolutionary movements in Indochina and later fought in the Spanish Civil War and with the French Resistance during World War II. He was Charles de Gaulle 's minister of cultural affairs (195868). His novels, which often draw on his experiences, include The Conquerors (1928); Man's Fate (1933, Prix Goncourt), his masterpiece; and Man's Hope (1937). After 1945 he abandoned fiction for art history and criticism; The Voices of Silence (1951) is his major work of the period.