Biography

Henri Troyat (born Lev Aslanovich Tarasov; 1 November [O. S. 19 October] 1911 – 2 March 2007) was a Russian-born French author, biographer, historian and novelist. Lev Aslanovich Tarasov (Russian: Лев Асланович Тарасов, Lev Aslanovich Tarasov) was born in Moscow to parents of mixed heritage, including Armenian, Russian, German and Georgian. In his autobiography, he states that his surname is Armenian (Torossian), while his maternal grandmother was German and his maternal grandfather was of mixed Georgian and Armenian descent.