vallée was born in pontoise, france in 1939. he completed undergraduate studies in mathematics at the university of paris in 1959 and received the equivalent of an m.s. in astrophysics from the university of lille nord de france in 1961. he began his professional life as an astronomer at the paris observatory in 1961. he was awarded the jules verne prize for his first science fiction novel, "le sub-espace" (1961), published under the pseudonym of jérôme sériel.