Tibetan culture 'well protected'

French author Maxime Vivas [Photo/China Daily]

The book, which refutes the long-time self-beatification of the Dalai Lama, has been translated into English, Spanish, German, Tibetan and Mandarin.

He pointed out that all member nations of the UN recognize Tibet is a part of China, and Tibet is protected as an integral part of Chinese territory by the Chinese constitution.

Vivas began his literary career as a novelist with Paris Brune (Editions Le Temps des Cerises), a book that won him the 1997 Roger Vailland Prize and positive media reviews.

The retired civil servant, having worked with the French postal service and France telecom, published later another novel The Cathedral At The Bottom of The Garden, which was also well-received and had been chosen for a film adaptation, though the sudden bankruptcy of his publisher put a halt to its success.

It was only later that his work turned to politics. In 2007, Vivas published The Hidden Face of Reporters Without Borders: From the CIA to The Hawks of The Pentagon.

His most recent book, Marine Le Pen, co-written with his son Frederic, was aimed at the leader of the far-right French political party the Front National.

Having published 17 books and with several upcoming projects, Vivas shows no signs of slowing down, and it appears that politics will remain the focus of his writing for the immediate future.