Michel Tournier (19 December 1924 – 18 January 2016) was a French writer. He has won awards such as the "Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française" in 1967 for "Friday, or, The Other Island" and the Prix Goncourt for "The Erl-King" in 1970. He was a member of the Académie Goncourt. His autobiography has been translated and published as "The Wind Spirit" (Beacon Press, 1988). He had been named as a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was born in Paris, France.