[2] He started his career as a civil servant in Paris in 1961, first in finance and then in national education.

[3] His 1986 novel, L'organidrame, was selected for the Prix Goncourt (awarded to Michel Host for Valet de nuit instead).

[3] His 1994 novel, L'hôtel des deux gares, was about a collaborationist in Paris during World War II.

[3] His 2002 novel, Retour à Santopal, was based on his career as a correspondent under Augusto Pinochet in Chile.

[1] Ballet was the co-founder of Le Temps des Cerises, a publishing house, in 1993.