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 September 1, 1940) is a famous French writer. She won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature. She received this award for her brave and clear way of writing about personal memories. Her books often tell stories from her own life. They also connect to how society and groups of people influence us.
Contents
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 shop and cafe there. It was in a part of town where many working-class families lived.
In 1960, Annie went to London, England. She worked as an au pair, which means she helped a family with childcare and housework. She later wrote about this time in her 2016 book, Mémoire de fille (A Girl's Story).
When she returned to France, she studied at the University of Rouen and then the University of Bordeaux. She became a schoolteacher. In 1971, she earned a special degree in modern literature. She also worked on a research project about a writer named Pierre de Marivaux, but she did not finish it.
In the early 1970s, Ernaux taught at different high schools in France. Later, she joined the National Centre for Distance Education. This is a place that helps people learn from home. She worked there for 23 years.
Writing Career
Annie Ernaux began her writing journey in 1974. Her first book was Les Armoires vides (Cleaned Out). It 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 life. It focused on her relationship with her father. It also explored her experiences growing up in a small French town. She wrote about how she became an adult and moved away from her parents' home and their social class.
Early in her career, Ernaux decided to write mostly about her own life. This is called autobiography. Her books mix her personal experiences with bigger historical events. She has written about her parents' lives (in La Place and La Honte). She also wrote about her teenage years (Ce qu'ils disent ou rien). Other books cover her marriage (La Femme gelée) and the death of her mother (Une femme).
Many of Ernaux's books have been praised. A Woman's Story (Une femme), A Man's Place, and Simple Passion were called "Notable Books" by The New York Times. A Woman's Story was also a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.
Her 2008 book, Les Années (The Years), is seen by many as her most important work. In this book, Ernaux writes about herself using "she" instead of "I." It gives a clear picture of French society from after World War II until the early 2000s. It tells the story of a woman and the changing world she lived in. The Years won several awards in France. When it was translated into English, it was nominated for the International Booker Prize in 2019. It also won the 2019 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation. Her books became much more popular in English-speaking countries after The Years was nominated for the Booker Prize.
On October 6, 2022, it was announced that Annie Ernaux would receive the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature. The award was given "for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory." Ernaux is the 16th French writer to win this prize. She is also the first Frenchwoman to receive the literature prize. 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.
Political Views
Annie Ernaux has shared her thoughts on political issues. In 2018, she supported the yellow vests protests in France. These protests were about economic fairness.
She has also shown support for the BDS movement. This movement is led by Palestinians. It encourages people to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel. In 2018, she signed a letter with other artists. This letter was against a cultural event between Israel and France. In 2019, she signed another letter. It asked a French TV network not to show the Eurovision Song Contest that year because it was held in Israel. In 2021, she signed a letter that called Israel an apartheid state. It said that Israel was the "colonizing power" and Palestine was "colonized." In October 2024, Ernaux signed a letter with many other authors. 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 that the people he was accused of harming were "active Mossad and CIA agents." It also said that Abdallah fought for the Palestinian people.
After winning the Nobel Prize, Ernaux showed support for the uprising in Iran. These protests started after a young woman named Jina Mahsa Amini died while in police custody. The protests were against strict rules for women, like compulsory hijab laws. Ernaux said she was "absolutely in favour of women revolting against this absolute constraint."
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 planned new town in the suburbs of Paris.
Books by Annie Ernaux
- Les Armoires vides, 1974
- Ce qu'ils disent ou rien, 1977
- La Femme gelée, 1981
- La Place, 1983
- Une Femme, 1988
- Passion simple, 1991
- Journal du dehors, 1993
- La Honte, 1997
- «Je ne suis pas sortie de ma nuit», 1997
- La Vie extérieure : 1993–1999, 2000
- L'Événement, 2000
- Se perdre, 2001
- L'Occupation, 2002
- L'Usage de la photo, with Marc Marie, 2005
- Les Années, 2008
- L'Autre fille, 2011
- L'Atelier noir, 2011
- Écrire la vie, 2011
- Retour à Yvetot, 2013
- Regarde les lumières mon amour, 2014
- Mémoire de fille, 2016
- Hôtel Casanova, 2020
- Le jeune homme, 2022
Movies Based on Her Books
Some of Annie Ernaux's books have been made into movies:
- L'Événement (2021), also known as Happening. This movie won the Golden Lion award at the 2021 Venice Film Festival.
- Passion simple (2020), also called Simple Passion. It was chosen to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival.
- L'Autre (2008), based on her book L'Occupation. It is known as The Other One in English.
Awards and Honors
Annie Ernaux has received many awards for her writing:
- 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 work
- 2014 Doctor honoris causa from Cergy-Pontoise University
- 2016 Strega European Prize for The Years
- 2017 Prix Marguerite Yourcenar for all her work
- 2018 Premio Hemingway per la letteratura for all her work
- 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
See also
In Spanish: Annie Ernaux para niños
