Cizia Zykë, French writer and adventurer, died he was 61.

Cizia Zykë was a French writer and adventurer born in Morocco.^[2] He wrote numerous books on exploring dangerous corners of the world.

(born Jean-Charles Zykë; c. 1949 – 27 September 2011^[1])

Biography

Born to a half-French, half-Albanian ex-legionnaire and a Greek-born woman, he was raised in Taroudant 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 his unit was disbanded.^{[citation needed]}
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). From South America, he traveled to the USA and Asia, living in Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and Bangkok. In 1971 he arrived in Toronto, and set up various money making schemes, which at one point led him to be severely beaten by a gang of professional racketeers. He moved on to new perilous adventures, first in the Sahara, and later in Costa Rica.^{[citation needed]}
His first published book, Oro, which earned him international attention, narrates his adventures searching for gold in Costa Rica.
Cizia Zykë died of a heart attack in September 2011.

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