Jean-Paul Desprat, a historian, biographer, and novelist known for his work on the 17th and 18th centuries and the French Revolution, has died. He passed away on Monday, September 21, 2026, in Paris at the age of 79, according to La Dépêche. Desprat authored more than thirty works, blending historical erudition with narrative. He was born in 1947 and left behind a body of work that included historical novels, biographies, essays, and literary works. His entry into literature dates back to the late 1980s, when he was an employee at Saint-Gobain and wrote on trains and in hotels during his professional travel between Lyon and Cologne. His first novel, Le Marquis des Éperviers, was published in 1988 by Balland as the first volume of the trilogy La Fougère et les Lys, followed by Camp des enfants de Dieu and Secret des Bourbons. His work often intertwined historical documentation with fiction, as seen in the saga Les Couleurs du feu, which includes Bleu de Sèvres, Jaune de Naples, and Rouge de Paris. These books recount the European history of porcelain, rivalries between manufacturers, and industrial espionage. Desprat's biographical works include books on Henri IV, the cardinal de Bernis, Madame de Maintenon, and Mirabeau. In recent years, his focus turned to the French Revolution, with Une histoire des Girondins published in 2025 and Danton. Bonhomme ou démon in 2026. He also translated and annotated Les Deux Révolutions. Paris, 1789 and Naples, 1799, a historical narrative on the French and Neapolitan revolutions. More recently, he revised and developed the manuscript of an old French translation of L'Âge ingrat by Jean Paul Friedrich Richter, published in 2026. Desprat participated in historical dramatizations for France Inter. He held a Doctorate in Law and was trained in history, teaching briefly at Paris II before a career in industry, notably at Saint-Gobain. Literature and history eventually became central to his career, resulting in thirty publications. He was also attached to the Aveyron region, inheriting the Château de Gironde from his parents in 1969 and involved in the defense of local heritage. He created the Literary Prize of the Pays noir in 2014 to promote the region's memory and writings. Only weeks before his death, he was hosting an exhibition and art competition at the castle, with several book projects still in preparation. A tribute is expected to be held at St Eustache.