Dominique Lapierre was a renowned French author known for his captivating storytelling and humanitarian work. Born in Châtelaillon-Plage, Charente-Maritime, France, at the age of thirteen, he traveled to America with his father, a diplomat serving as the Consul General of France. During his time in the United States, he attended the Jesuit school in New Orleans and worked as a paperboy for the New Orleans Item.

Lapierre developed a passion for traveling, writing, and cars, which influenced much of his later work. In the early 1950s, he was conscripted into the French army and served in a tank regiment before being transferred to SHAPE headquarters as an interpreter. It was here he met Larry Collins, an American Army corporal and Yale graduate, who became a lifelong friend and collaborator.

Dominique Lapierre is celebrated for best-selling books such as La Ciudad de la Alegría, Mil Soles, Esta Noche la Libertad, Era Medianoche en Bhopal, and Más Grandes que el Amor, many written in collaboration with Larry Collins.

Lapierre's contributions to literature and society earned him numerous accolades, including being awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan by the President of India, Pratibha Patil, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on 5 May 2008.