Marguerite Duras (April 4, 1914 – March 3, 1996) was a French writer and movie director. She first used the surname "Duras" on her 1943 novel "Les Impudents". She wrote "The Lover", which was later made into a 1992 movie. Duras was born in Saigon, Vietnam. She died in Paris from throat cancer, age 81.