Dominique Lapierre, French author and journalist, dies at 91

NICE, France (AP) — French writer Dominique Lapierre has died at age 91. In 1964, Lapierre drew on archived material to co-author with American writer Larry Collins “Is Paris Burning?” — a recounting of the World War II liberation of the French capital. Lapierre had a special bond with India and spent a lot of time in Kolkata, a city that was nicknamed “The City of Joy” after his 1985 novel with that title. The book chronicled the life of a rickshaw puller and was adapted by Roland Joffé into a 1992 film. The Var Matin newspaper in southern France reported Monday that Lapierre died Friday, citing an interview with the author’s wife.