Amélie Nothomb facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Baroness Amélie Nothomb
Amélie Nothomb on 14 March 2009
Born	Fabienne Claire Nothomb (1966-07-09) 9 July 1966 (age 58) or (1967-08-13) 13 August 1967 (age 57) 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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Amélie Nothomb, whose real name is Fabienne Claire Nothomb, is a famous Belgian writer. She writes her books in French. She spent some of her childhood in Asia.

She writes a lot! Since her first novel, Hygiene and the Assassin, came out in 1992, she has published a new book almost every year. Her books are very popular and have been translated into many different languages. She has received important awards, including being named a Baroness by the King of Belgium. Her book Fear and Trembling, which is a funny look at working in a Japanese company, won a big award called the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française in 1999. In 2015, she became a member of the Royal Academy of French Language and Literature in Belgium.

About Amélie Nothomb's Life

Amélie Nothomb was born in Etterbeek, Belgium, on July 9, 1966. She sometimes jokes that she was born in Kobe, Japan, in 1967. She lived in Japan from age two to five.

After Japan, she lived in many other countries like China, New York City, Bangladesh, Myanmar (Burma), the UK, and Laos. Her family is from a noble Belgian background. Her father, Patrick Nothomb, was a Belgian diplomat. Her great-uncle, Charles-Ferdinand Nothomb, was a Belgian foreign minister. Her great-grandfather, Pierre Nothomb, was also a writer and politician. Amélie has a brother, André, and a sister, Juliette Nothomb, who writes children's books.

Her family's coat of arms

While living in Japan, Amélie went to a local school and learned Japanese. When she was five, her family moved to China. She wrote in her book Fear and Trembling that leaving Japan was very hard for her. Later, she studied language at the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium.

After finishing her studies, Nothomb went back to Japan to work for a Japanese company in Tokyo. Her experiences from this time are described in her novel Fear and Trembling.

Her first novel, Hygiene and the Assassin, was published in 1992. Since then, she has published about one novel every year. Some of her well-known books include The Stranger Next Door (1995), Fear and Trembling (1999), and The Character of Rain (2000). She has won many awards for her writing. In 2015, she became a member of the Royal Academy of French Language and Literature in Belgium.

In 2002, she wrote a book about the French singer Robert called The Book of Proper Names. She also wrote lyrics for nine of Robert's songs between 2000 and 2002.

A documentary film was made about Amélie in 2012. It was called Amélie Nothomb: une vie entre deux eaux (a life between two waters). It showed her returning to Japan and exploring its beauty. She also met her Japanese nursemaid, Nishio San, again.

In 2015, the King of Belgium made her a Baroness. This title is for her lifetime but does not pass down to her children.

Her novel Premier sang (First Blood) was published in 2021. It tells a fictional story about her father, who passed away in 2020. This book won the Prix Renaudot, another important literary award.

Amélie Nothomb's Books

Amélie Nothomb has written many books, mostly novels. Here is a list of some of her published works:

Unless otherwise stated, all works were originally published in French by Éditions Albin Michel.

Books Made into Movies

Some of Amélie Nothomb's books have been turned into movies.

Film Adaptations

• 1999: Hygiène de l'assassin (Hygiene and the Assassin), a French movie.
• 2003: Stupeur et tremblements (Fear and Trembling), a French movie directed by Alain Corneau.
• 2014: Tokyo Fiancée, a Belgian movie directed by Stefan Liberski.
• 2021: A Perfect Enemy, a French movie based on her novel Cosmétique de l'ennemi.

Books Made into Plays

Some of Amélie Nothomb's books have also been adapted for the stage as plays.

Stage Adaptations

• Le sabotage amoureux (Loving Sabotage), performed in Paris in 1999 and Vincennes from 2003–2005.
• Cosmétique de l'ennemi (The Enemy's Cosmetique), performed in Switzerland from 2003–2008.
• Les combustibles (Human Rites), performed in Vincennes in 2008 and Paris in 2010.
• Métaphysique des tubes (The Character of Rain), performed from 2007–2009.
• Hygiène de l'assassin (Hygiene and the Assassin), performed in Namur and Brussels in 2008.
• Biographie de la Faim (The Life of Hunger), performed in Brussels in 2009.
• Stupeur et Tremblements (Fear and Trembling), performed in Paris in 2011.

Audio Books

Many of Amélie Nothomb's novels are available as audio books. This means you can listen to them being read aloud.

Audio Book Versions

• Robert des noms propres (The Book of Proper Names), released in 2003.
• Antéchrista (Antichrista), released in 2004.
• Biographie de la faim (The life of hunger), released in 2005.
• Acide sulfurique (Sulphuric acid), released in 2006.
• Ni d'Eve, ni d'Adam (Tokyo Fiancée), released in 2008.
• Le fait du prince (The prince's act), released in 2009.
• Le voyage d'hiver (The winter journey), released in 2009.
• Une forme de vie (A form of life), released in 2010.

See Also

In Spanish: Amélie Nothomb para niños