Giraudoux studied at the Lycée Lakanal in Sceaux and upon graduation traveled extensively in Europe.

After his return to France in 1910, he accepted a position with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

With the outbreak of World War I, he served with distinction and in 1915 became the first writer ever to be awarded the wartime Legion of Honour.

He first achieved literary success through his novels, notably Siegfried et le Limousin (1922) and Eglantine (1927).

He became well known in the English speaking world largely because of the award-winning adaptations of his plays by Christopher Fry (Tiger at the Gates) and Maurice Valency (The Madwoman of Chaillot, Ondine, The Enchanted, The Apollo of Bellac).