David Bellos (born 1945) is an English-born translator and biographer. Bellos is Meredith Howland Pyne Professor of French Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature at Princeton University in the United States. He was director of Princeton's Program in Translation and Intercultural Communication from its inception in 2007 until July 1, 2019. Biography Bellos' research topics have included Honoré de Balzac and Georges Perec. Bellos published a translation of Perec's most famous novel, Life A User's Manual, in 1987. He won the first Man Booker International Prize for translation in 2005 for his translations of works by Albanian author Ismail Kadare, despite not speaking Albanian. His translations were done from previous French translations. Bellos has written three literary biographies and an introduction to translation studies, Is That a Fish in Your Ear? Translation and The Meaning of Everything (2011). His most recent book, The Novel of the Century, tells the story of how Victor Hugo wrote Les Misérables. He appears in The Magnificent Tati, a documentary about the filmmaker Jacques Tati. He is the father of writer and broadcaster Alex Bellos. Awards and honours 2005 Man Booker International Prize, for translation of works by Ismail Kadare 2015 Officier in the Ordre national des Arts et des Lettres 2017 American Library in Paris Book Award winner for The Novel of the Century 2019 Howard T. Berhman Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Humanities, Princeton University Publications Translations Georges Perec: Life A User's Manual, 1987 (French-American Foundation's translation prize); new edition, 2008 Georges Perec: W, or the Memory of Childhood, 1988 Georges Perec: Things: A Story of the Sixties, 1990 Georges Perec: 53 Days, 1992 Ismail Kadare: The Pyramid, 1995 Ismail Kadare:The File on H, 1996 Georges Ifrah: A Universal History of Numbers, 2000 Ismail Kadare: Spring Flowers, Spring Frost, 2001 Fred Vargas: Have Mercy On Us All, 2003 Fred Vargas: Seeking Whom He May Devour, 2004 Ismail Kadare: The Successor, 2005 Ismail Kadare: Agamemnon's Daughter, 2006 Ismail Kadare: The Siege, 2008 Hélène Berr: Journal, 2008 Georges Perec: Thoughts of Sorts, 2009 Romain Gary: Hocus Bogus, 2010 Georges Perec: The Art and Craft of Approaching Your Head of Department to Submit a Request for a Raise, 2011 Georges Simenon: Pietr the Latvian, 2013 Daniel Anselme: On Leave, 2014 Ismail Kadare: Twilight of the Eastern Gods, 2014 Georges Perec: Portrait of a Man, 2014 (UK), 2015 (USA) Georges Perec: I Remember, 2014 (USA) (with