Philippe Claudel is a French writer and film director, born on 2 February 1962 in Dombasle-sur-Meurthe, Meurthe-et-Moselle. He is also a professor of literature at the University of Nancy. Claudel's notable work includes the 2008 film I've Loved You So Long (Il y a longtemps que je t'aime), which won the 2009 BAFTA for the best film not in English.

Claudel began his literary career in 1999 with his first novel, Meuse l'oubli. He went on to publish several other books such as Quelques-uns des cent regrets (1999), Le Café de l'Excelsior (1999), and J'abandonne (2000). He received the Roman France Télévision award for Barrio Flores (2000) and El ruido de los ajuares (2001). In 2003, Claudel gained significant literary recognition with Les Âmes grises (Grey Souls), a story about a murder during the First World War, which won the prix Renaudot award in France, was shortlisted for the American Gumshoe Award, and won Sweden's Martin Beck Award.