Pierre Magnan was born on 19 September 1922 in Manosque. At the age of 13 he started working as a typographer and two years later started to write. His style was influenced by Jean Giono to whom he will dedicate a book later called To Greet Giono. During World War II he became acquainted with a novelist Thyde Monnier, who by 1946 published his work for the Éditions Julliard.