French philosopher and activist for the rights of autistic people, who has written four autobiographical books and travel stories addressing the issue of autism, including his best-selling 2012 autobiography, Je suis à l'Est. Born to Czech parents, until the age of six, he could not say a word. By age thirty, he could speak seven languages including Arabic, Persian and Hebrew.
He was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome at age 22. Since 2007, Josef Schovanec has presented his views on autism at numerous conferences and training courses. Known for his peculiar voice, sense of humour, politeness, frankness and logic, he often testifies to what he experiences and observes as a "person with autism."
He is a presenter on the radio program Voyages en Autistan and he played a recurring role in the 4th season of the French television series, Vestiaires, as an autistic obsessed with Persian poetry.
He was born on the same day as American singer Britney Spears, a fact he has written about.
Link to Wikipedia biography (French)
