Born in Ambert in 1952, Jean-Claude Mourlevat is a French novelist known for his children's novels. He has received many literary awards, including the Prix des incorruptibles in 2002 for La rivière à l'envers, the Prix Jeunesse France Télévisions in 2006 for Le combat d'hiver and the very prestigious Prix commémoratif Astrid-Lindgren in 2021 for the whole of his work. He is the first Frenchman to receive it.