Annie Ernaux facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Annie Ernaux
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Ernaux in 2017
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| Born | Annie Thérèse Blanche Duchesne 1 September 1940 Lillebonne, France |
| Education |
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| Notable awards | Nobel Prize in Literature (2022) |
| Spouse |
Philippe Ernaux
(div. 1980) |
| Children | 2 |
Annie Ernaux (born on September 1, 1940) is a famous French writer. She won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature in 2022. She received this award "for the courage and clear way she shows the roots, differences, and shared limits of personal memories." Her books are mostly about her own life. They also connect to how society works.
Contents
Annie Ernaux's Early Life and School
Annie Ernaux was born in Lillebonne, a town in Normandy, France. She grew up in a nearby town called Yvetot. Her parents, Blanche and Alphonse Duchesne, owned a small café and grocery store there. This was in a working-class part of town.
In 1960, Annie went to London to work as an au pair. This means she lived with a family and helped with childcare and housework. She later wrote about this time in her 2016 book, Mémoire de fille (A Girl's Story).
When she came back to France, she studied at the University of Rouen and then the University of Bordeaux. She became a schoolteacher. In 1971, she earned a higher degree in modern literature. She also started working on a big research project about a writer named Pierre de Marivaux, but she didn't finish it.
In the early 1970s, Ernaux taught at different schools. She worked at a lycée (a type of high school) in Bonneville. She also taught at a college in Annecy-le-Vieux and later in Pontoise. After that, she joined the National Centre for Distance Education. She worked there for 23 years.
Annie Ernaux's Writing Career
Annie Ernaux started her writing journey in 1974. Her first book was Les Armoires vides (which means Cleaned Out). This book was a novel based on her own life.
In 1984, she won the Renaudot Prize for her book La Place (A Man's Place). This book was also about her own life. It focused on her relationship with her father. It also explored what it was like growing up in a small French town. The book showed how she moved into adulthood and away from her parents' home and her family's social class.
Early in her career, Ernaux decided to focus on writing about her own life. She stopped writing made-up stories. Her books mix personal experiences with historical events. She also wrote L'écriture comme un couteau (Writing as Sharp as a Knife) with Frédéric-Yves Jeannet.
Many of her books have been recognized as important. A Woman's Story, A Man's Place, and Simple Passion were named "Notable Books" by The New York Times. A Woman's Story was also a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Shame was chosen as a "Best Book of 1998" by Publishers Weekly. I Remain in Darkness was a "Top Memoir of 1999" by The Washington Post. And The Possession was a "Top Ten Book of 2008" by More magazine.
The Years and the Nobel Prize
Ernaux's 2008 book, Les Années (The Years), is a memoir about history. Many French critics loved it. Some people think it's her most important work. In this book, Ernaux writes about herself using "she" instead of "I" for the first time. It gives a clear picture of French society from just after World War II until the early 2000s. It tells the story of a woman and how the world around her changed.
The Years won several awards in France. It was also nominated for the International Booker Prize in 2019. It won the 2019 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation. Her popularity grew a lot in English-speaking countries after The Years was nominated for the International Booker.
On October 6, 2022, it was announced that Annie Ernaux would receive the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature. She won for her "courage and clear way of showing the roots, differences, and shared limits of personal memory." Ernaux is the 16th French writer to win this prize. She is also the first Frenchwoman to receive it. The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, congratulated her. He said she was the voice "of the freedom of women and of the forgotten."
Many of Ernaux's books have been translated into English. They are published by Fitzcarraldo Editions and Seven Stories Press. Ernaux is one of the seven writers who helped start Seven Stories Press.
Standing Up for What She Believes In
Annie Ernaux has often spoken out about political issues. She supported Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the 2012 French presidential election. In 2018, she showed her support for the yellow vests protests, which were about economic fairness in France.
Ernaux has also supported the BDS movement. This is a campaign led by Palestinians that encourages people to boycott, stop investing in, and put sanctions on Israel. In 2018, she signed a letter with about 80 other artists. They were against Israel and France holding a joint cultural event. In 2019, Ernaux signed another letter. It asked a French TV network not to show the Eurovision Song Contest, which was held in Israel that year. In 2021, she signed a letter after a conflict. This letter said Israel was an "apartheid" state. It claimed that saying it was a war between two equal sides was wrong. It stated that Israel was the powerful side, and Palestine was the weaker side. In October 2024, Ernaux signed an open letter with many other writers. They promised to boycott Israeli cultural groups.
Ernaux also signed a letter supporting the release of Georges Abdallah. He was put in prison in 1982. The letter said he fought for the Palestinian people.
After winning the Nobel Prize, Ernaux showed support for the uprising in Iran. These protests were against the government. They started after a young woman died while being held by the Morality Police. The protests began against the law requiring women to wear a hijab. But they soon grew to be about freedom in general. Ernaux said she was "absolutely in favour of women revolting against this absolute constraint."
Annie Ernaux's Personal Life
Annie Ernaux was married to Philippe Ernaux. They had two sons, Éric (born in 1964) and David (born in 1968). They divorced in 1981.
Since the mid-1970s, she has lived in Cergy-Pontoise. This is a new town in the suburbs of Paris.
Works
- Les Armoires vides, Paris: Gallimard, 1974; Gallimard, 1984, ISBN: 978-2-07-037600-1
- Ce qu'ils disent ou rien, Paris: Gallimard, 1977; French & European Publications, Incorporated, 1989, ISBN: 978-0-7859-2655-9
- La Femme gelée, Paris: Gallimard, 1981; French & European Publications, Incorporated, 1987, ISBN: 978-0-7859-2535-4
- La Place, Paris: Gallimard, 1983; Distribooks Inc, 1992, ISBN: 978-2-07-037722-0
- Une Femme, Paris: Gallimard, 1988
- Passion simple, Paris: Gallimard, 1991; Gallimard, 1993, ISBN: 978-2-07-038840-0
- Journal du dehors, Paris: Gallimard, 1993
- La Honte, Paris: Gallimard, 1997
- Shame, translator Tanya Leslie, Seven Stories Press, 1998, ISBN: 978-1-888363-69-2
- Je ne suis pas sortie de ma nuit, Paris: Gallimard, 1997
- La Vie extérieure : 1993–1999, Paris: Gallimard, 2000
- L'Événement, Paris: Gallimard, 2000, ISBN: 978-2-07-075801-2
- Se perdre, Paris: Gallimard, 2001
- Getting Lost, translator Allison L. Strayer, Seven Stories Press, 2022
- L'Occupation, Paris: Gallimard, 2002
- L'Usage de la photo, with Marc Marie, Paris: Gallimard, 2005
- Les Années, Paris: Gallimard, 2008, ISBN: 978-2-07-077922-2
- L'Autre fille, Paris: Nil 2011 ISBN: 978-2-84111-539-6
- L'Atelier noir, Paris: éditions des Busclats, 2011
- Écrire la vie, Paris: Gallimard, 2011
- Retour à Yvetot, éditions du Mauconduit, 2013
- Regarde les lumières mon amour, Seuil, 2014
- Mémoire de fille, Gallimard, 2016
- Hôtel Casanova, Gallimard Folio, 2020
- Le jeune homme, Gallimard, 2022
Adaptations
Annie Ernaux's books have been made into plays and radio shows. They have also been made into movies three times:
- L'Événement (2021), also called Happening in English. It was directed by Audrey Diwan. This movie won the Golden Lion at the 2021 Venice Film Festival.
- Passion simple (2020; English title: Simple Passion) was directed by Danielle Arbid. It was chosen to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival that year.
- L'Autre (2008), based on her book L'Occupation. Its English title is The Other One.
Awards and Distinctions
- 1977 Prix d'Honneur for Ce qu'ils disent ou rien
- 1984 Prix Renaudot for La Place
- 2008 Prix Marguerite-Duras for Les Années
- 2008 Prix François-Mauriac for Les Années
- 2008 Prix de la langue française for all her writings
- 2014 Doctor honoris causa from Cergy-Pontoise University
- 2016 Strega European Prize for The Years (translated into Italian as Gli Anni) (L'Orma)
- 2017 Prix Marguerite Yourcenar, given by the Civil Society of Multimedia Authors, for all her writings
- 2018 Premio Hemingway per la letteratura for all her writings
- 2019 Prix Formentor
- 2019 Premio Gregor von Rezzori for Una Donna (Une Femme)
- 2019 Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize for The Years
- 2021 Elected a Royal Society of Literature International Writer
- 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature
The Prix Annie-Ernaux is named after her. She is its "godmother."
Images for kids
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Ernaux in 2017
See Also
In Spanish: Annie Ernaux para niños
