Famous French Science Fiction Writers

Pierre Boulle was a French novelist best remembered for writing such novels as Planet of the Apes and The Bridge over the River Kwai, which were adapted into highly successful and award-winning films. Planet of the Apes inspired the creation of popular themed toys and animated series. His works have also inspired several French films like Le Point de mire.

French sci-fi author Bernard Werber is best known for his trilogy Les Fourmis, which gained international fame as The Ants. He is known for his signature style of using animals symbolically in his works. He is part of the Institute for Research on Extraordinary Experiences, and his interests include paranormal experiences.

French author Robert Joseph Grugeau had used several pseudonyms, such as Saint-Saviol, but the best-known of his pen-names was Robert Charroux. His works such as The Gods Unknown and Forgotten Worlds were parts of his ancient astronaut series. He was also known to be a proponent of Celticism.

French writer Alphonse Allais, also a journalist and humorist, wrote many collections of whimsical writings. He is known for writing the earliest example of a completely silent musical composition. The small house where he was born was later turned into a museum named Alphonse Allais Museum. The Académie Alphonse-Allais has been awarding an annual prize in his honor since 1954.

Best known by his pseudonym Vercors, French author Jean Marcel Bruller had also co-founded the publishing house Les Éditions de Minuit. He was actively involved in the Resistance during World War II and was a vocal leftist. His The Silence of the Sea became a cult hit later.

Didier Van Cauwelaert is a French author and playwright of Belgian descent. The son of a lawyer who had always wanted to be a writer, he decided to fulfill his father’s dream. He started writing at a young age and published his first novel when he was just 22 years old. Since then, he has published numerous other literary works. 

Albert Robida was a French illustrator, lithographer, etcher, caricaturist, and novelist. The son of a carpenter, he initially trained to be a notary. However, he eventually chose to pursue a literary career. He wrote several futuristic novels and created over 500 illustrations for  Pierre Giffard's weekly serial La Guerre Infernale. He also published the La Caricature magazine. 

Eugène Mouton was a 19th-century French writer who specialized in writing comic, adventure, and fantastical literature. He is considered an early proponent of what would become known as the science fiction genre. He had a successful career as a magistrate and later became a prosecutor. He helped establish one of the first mobile libraries in France.