Cizia Zykë (born Jean-Charles Zykë; 25 February 1949 – 27 September 2011) was a French writer and adventurer born in Morocco. He wrote numerous books on exploring dangerous corners of the world.
Born to a French-Albanian ex-legionnaire father and a Greek mother, he was raised in Taroudannt until Morocco gained independence in 1956 when they all left for Bordeaux. His teenage years are marked with rebellion and violence - he was arrested twice. As a 17-year-old he tried to leave France, but being unable to obtain a passport he joined the Foreign Legion to fight during the Six-Day War. After three months, before he could leave France, his unit was disbanded.
In 1967 he finally left France and traveled to his distant family in Argentina. In three years he earned quite a sum of money trading in Pre-Columbian art and gambling. He worked various jobs (became the owner of a night club in Buenos Aires, a sculptor and interior decorator in Ecuador, bootlegger and archeologist in Argentina...
