Jean-Claude Izzo

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Jean-Claude Izzo (June 20, 1945 - January 1, 2000) was a French poet, playwright, screenwriter, and novelist who achieved sudden fame in the mid-1990s with the publication of his three detective novels, Total Kheops, Chourmo, and Solea. All three novels are set in the author's native city of Marseille. Total Kheops was translated into English under the title Total Chaos.

Jean-Claude Izzo was born on June 20, 1945 in Marseille, France. His father was an Italian immigrant and his maternal grandfather was a Spanish immigrant. He excelled in school and spent much of his time at his desk writing stories and poems. But because of his “immigrant” status, he was forced into a technical school where he was taught how to operate a lathe.

In 1963, he began work in a bookstore. He also actively campaigned on behalf of Pax Christi, a Catholic peace movement. Then, in 1964, he was called up for military duty in Toulon and Djibouti. He worked for the military newspaper as a photograph and journalist.