Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt is one of Europe's most popular and acclaimed authors and playwrights. His many novels and story collections include The Most Beautiful Book in the World (Europa, 2009), Oscar and the Lady in Pink, and Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran.

A keen music lover, Schmitt has also translated into French The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni from the original Italian. In 2001, he was awarded the French Academy's Grand Prix du Theatre. Schmitt divides his time between Paris and Brussels.