Francis Walder , born Francis Waldburger with Brussels Belgium in 1906 - died in Paris in March 1997, is a writer. He studies at the Military Royal School of Belgium. During the Second world war, he is prisoner of war in Germany during five years. And it is as a representative of the Belgian army that it takes part in the diplomatic discussions which follow the Armistice. This experiment will be used to him as crucible for its work to come. Military career, it publishes only some philosophical texts (" The profonde" existence; , " Seasons of the esprit") before devoting itself to the writing once arrived at the retirement.

In 1958, it receives the Prix Goncourt for Saint-Germain or the negotiation (Gallimard), a historical novel which reports the negotiations carried out between the crown of France and the huguenots in 1570, negotiations which will lead to fragile the Paix of Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer. This book approaches with a great carried out subtlety the very diplomatic one of a negotiation between the powerful ones. Francis Walder will explore the historical novel through two other novels: " A letter of Voiture" (Gallimard, 1962) whose action is at the 17th century and who revives the courtier and poet Vincent Voiture and " Chaillot or Co-existence" (Belfond, 1987) which illustrates the political cohabitation of Louis XIII and Richelieu in counterpoint of the coexistence of the Cardinal and of Gaston de France, duke of Orleans, brother of the King. Its novels, with the very neat style, are often tinted of pessimism and are haunted by the spectrum of the impossible love between people of too different origin or social status.