Henri Troyat , born Levon Aslan Torossian or Lev Aslanovich Tarasov , ( November 1 , 1911 -- March 2 , 2007 ) was a French author , biographer , historian and novelist . Henri Troyat ( 1 November 1911 â `` 2 March 2007 ) was a Russian born French author , biographer , historian and novelist .