He said: Merle's "major achievement" was his 13-book series of historical novels, Fortune de France (1977–2003), which recreate 16th and 17th century France through the eyes of a fictitious Protestant doctor turned spy. A "genuine scholar of language", Merle wrote the novels using many of the appropriate French speech rhythms and idioms of the historical period. The series made Merle a household name in France, with the author repeatedly called the Alexandre Dumas of the 20th century. Personal life Merle was married three times, and had four sons and two daughters. He died in 2004 at age 95 of a heart attack in Montfort-l'Amaury, France. Bibliography Week-end à Zuydcoote (1949) - Published in US as Week-end at Zuydcoote (1950) La mort est mon métier (1952) - Published in UK as Death is my Trade (1954) L'île (1962) - Published in US as The Island (1964) Moncada, premier combat de Fidel Castro (1965) Un animal doué de raison (1967) - Published in US as The Day of the Dolphin (1967) Derrière la vitre (1970) - Published in US as Behind the Glass (1972) Malevil (1972) Les hommes protégés (1974) - Published in US as The Virility Factor (1977) Madrapour (1976) L'idole (1987) - Published in US as The Idol Le jour ne se lève pas pour nous (1987) Le propre de l'homme (1989) Fortune de France series (1977-2003) Fortune de France (1977) En nos vertes années (1979) Paris ma bonne ville (1980) Le Prince que voilà (1982) La violente amour (1983) La Pique du jour (1985) La Volte des vertugadins (1991) L’Enfant-Roi (1993) Les Roses de la vie (1995) Le Lys et la Pourpre (1997) La Gloire et les Périls (1999) Complots et Cabales (2001) Le Glaive et les amours (2003) (English: Love and the Sword) Reception Kirkup called the Fortune de France series "spectacular" and dubbed it Merle's "major achievement". Douglas Johnson of The Guardian described the author as "a master of the historical novel". The series made Merle a household name in France, and he has been repeatedly called the Alexandre Dumas of the 20th century. Le Monde dubbed Merle "France's greatest popular novelist", and Le Figaro observed, "Robert Merle is one of the very few French writers who have attained both popular success and the admiration of critics." Writing for The Wall Street Journal, Allan Massie praised Merle's "thorough research, depth of understanding and popular touch", noting that