Author. He was a 20th century French author and leftist intellectual. He traveled to the Far East, to Indochina and later China, in the 1920's and had contact with Communist revolutionaries. Malraux was a prominent anti-fascist in the 1930s. His political convictions and metaphysical preoccupations figure prominently in his novels. Major works include "Les Conquorants" in 1928; "La Voie Royale" in 1930; "La Condition Humaine" in 1933; "Le Temps du Mopris" in 1935; and L'Espoir" in 1937. Many of his books have been translated to English. Born Georges André Malraux, he was a four-year-old when his parents divorced. In his childhood, he lived with his mother, an aunt, and his grandmother. He left formal education early but continued to be self-taught. His first magazine article, "The Origins of Cubist Poetry", was published in 1920. The next year, he started reading articles by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who molded his political thinking for the rest of his life. In 1922 he married his first wife Clara Goldschmidt, an author, and they had a daughter. By 1923, he had left his wife and daughter to travel to the Far East, initially coming to Cambodia before China. Not only did he enhance his political thinking, but he also published at least six novels based on information from this trip. Critics question where he actually traveled and what he had experienced with first-hand knowledge. He did return to this area of the world on other trips. In 1929 he made important discoveries of Greco-Buddhist art in Afghanistan and Iran. After a financial loss in the stock market, his father committed suicide in 1930. In 1934, he and a colleague traveled to Saudi Arabia and Yemen seeking the legendary Queen of Sheba's city of riches, which included "spices, gold, and precious stones." Returning without any riches, they claimed the location on a mountain. The publicity of this trip enhanced his popularity after publishing stories of this adventure. Starting 1936, he participated in the Spanish Civil War by joining the Republican forces and helping to establish an air force. He reached the rank of colonel. During this time, he met Josette Clotis, who became his romantic companion for a number of years. The couple had two sons from their relationship. Both sons were killed in an automobile accident in 1961. During World War II, he was captured twice as a French soldier by Nazi Forces, but eventually escaped both times, becoming part of the French Resistance. In 1947 he and his first wife divorced. On March 13, 1948, he married Marie-Madeleine Lioux, his brother Roland's widow. Abandoning novels, he published his three-volume "The Psychology of Art" between 1947 and 1950. From 1959 to 1969, he was France's first cultural affairs minister during Charles de Gaulle's presidency. Although, a few of his novels have parts that are autobiographical, his autobiography "Antimémoires," was published in 1967. A heavy smoker, he died of a lung embolism while battling cancer. His remains were cremated and originally buried at the cemetery at Verrières-le-Buisson, but in 1996, his ashes were buried with honors at Panthéon. Published posthumously were his "Politics, Culture. Speeches, articles, interviews (1925-1975)" in 1996 and his works in a six-volume collection as "Bibliotheque de la Pleiade" from 1989 to 2010. Throughout his career, he received numerous honors and recognitions including in 1933 the Prix Goncourt for "La Condition Humaine"; for service during World War II, the Croix de Guerre and the Distinguished Service Order from Great Britain, and starting in 1947 through 1971, 70 nominations for the Nobel Prize.