""Ça va" est une formule, une formule de politesse, mise au point après des siècles de civilisation judéo-chrétienne, l'islam y a recours également. Formule qui permet à deux êtres équilibrés, sains et civilisés de se croiser sans avoir à entrer dans les détails sordides et personnels de la vie intime de chacun." De savoureux dialogues déclenchés par la formule magique "Bonjour, ça va ?".
Before becoming a playwright, Jean-Claude Grumberg held several jobs, including working as a tailor. This work provided the setting for his best-known play, L'Atelier. He discovered drama as an actor in a theatrical company. His career as a writer began in 1968 with Demain, une fenêtre sur rue, and short theatrical pieces such Rixe, which was staged at the Comédie-Française. In several of his works, he has written about what has haunted him since childhood: the death of his father in the Nazi death camps: Maman revient pauvre orphelin, Dreyfus (1974), L'Atelier (1979) and Zone libre (1990).
In 1998, L'Atelier returned to Théâtre Hébertot in Paris, achieved great success, and won the 1999 Molière for best play direction.
His screenplay credits include, Les Années Sandwiches, coauthor with François Truffaut of The Last Metro, La Petite Apocalypse of Costa-Gavras, Le Plus Beau Pays du monde by Marcel Bluwal (1999), Fait d'hiver Robert Enrico (1999). For television, he wrote the teleplays for Thérèse Humbert, Music Hall, by Marcel Bluwal, Les Lendemains qui chantent, by Jacques Fansten et Julien l'apprenti, by Jacques Otmezguine.
He is one of the few living contemporary French playwrights whose work is studied in schools (including L'Atelier). Jean-Claude Grumberg received the Grand Prize of the Académie française in 1991 and SACD Prize in 1999 for lifetime achievement; the Molière's best playwright in 1991 for Zone libre and in 1999 for L'Atelier.
Jean-Claude Grumberg is also the father of the actress Olga Grumberg.