Amélie Nothomb facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Amélie Nothomb
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Amélie Nothomb on 14 March 2009
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| Born | Fabienne Claire Nothomb 9 July 1966 or 13 August 1967 Etterbeek, Belgium or Kōbe, Japan (disputed: see article body) |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Education | Université libre de Bruxelles |
| Notable works | Loving Sabotage Fear and Trembling Tokyo Fiancée The Life of Hunger |
| Notable awards |  Order of the Crown (Belgium), member of Académie royale de langue et de littérature françaises de Belgique, Prix littéraire de la vocation, Prix Jacques Chardonne, Prix de Flore, Prix Alain-Fournier, Grand prix Jean Giono, Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française |
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Baroness Fabienne Claire Nothomb, who is famous under her pen name Amélie Nothomb, is a Belgian writer who writes her books in French. She is known for being a very productive author. Since her first book was published in 1992, she has written a new one almost every year.
Her stories are very popular and have been translated into many languages for people to read all over the world. One of her most famous books is Fear and Trembling. This book won a major French award in 1999. Because of her important work, the King of Belgium gave her the special title of Baroness.
A Life of Travel
Amélie Nothomb comes from a noble Belgian family. Her father, Patrick Nothomb, was a diplomat. A diplomat is someone who represents their country in other nations. Because of her father's job, Amélie spent her childhood moving around the world. She lived in Japan, China, New York City, Bangladesh, Burma, the United Kingdom, and Laos.
There is some friendly debate about where and when Amélie was born. Official records say she was born in Etterbeek, Belgium, on July 9, 1966. However, Amélie has often said she was born in Kobe, Japan, on August 13, 1967. She lived in Japan from age two to five and felt a very strong connection to the country. She even learned to speak Japanese.
When her family moved from Japan to China, she said it was a very sad moment for her. Later, she went to college in Brussels at the Université libre de Bruxelles, where she studied philology (the study of language and literature). After finishing her studies, she moved back to Japan to work for a large company in Tokyo. Her time there inspired her to write her famous novel, Fear and Trembling.
Writing Career
Nothomb's first novel, Hygiène de l'assassin (Hygiene and the Assassin), was published in 1992. It was a big success and started her long career. Since then, she has published a new book almost every year. Her books often explore her unique childhood and experiences living in different cultures.
In 2015, she was given a great honor by being elected to the Royal Academy of French Language and Literature in Belgium. This showed how important her work is to French literature.
In 2021, her novel Premier sang (First Blood) won the famous Prix Renaudot award. The book is written as if it were the memories of her father, who had passed away the year before.
Famous Books
Amélie Nothomb has written many books. Here are some of her most well-known works that have been translated into English:
- Hygiene and the Assassin (1992)
- Loving Sabotage (1993)
- The Stranger Next Door (1995)
- Fear and Trembling (1999)
- The Character of Rain (2000)
- The Book of Proper Names (2002)
- Antichrista (2003)
- The Life of Hunger (2004)
- Sulphuric Acid (2005)
- Tokyo Fiancée (2007)
- Life Form (2010)
- Strike Your Heart (2017)
- Thirst (2019)
- First Blood (2021)
Movies Based on Her Books
Some of Amélie Nothomb's popular novels have been turned into movies.
- Fear and Trembling (2003): A French movie based on her experiences working in Japan. It stars actress Sylvie Testud.
- Tokyo Fiancée (2014): A Belgian movie about a young woman's romance and adventures in Tokyo.
- A Perfect Enemy (2021): A movie based on her novel The Enemy's Cosmetique.
See also
In Spanish: Amélie Nothomb para niños
