Elvire Murail facts for kids
Elvire Murail (born on June 7, 1958, in Le Havre, France) is a French writer. She is famous for writing many books for young people under her special writing name, Moka. Elvire comes from a family of writers and artists. Her father, Gérard Murail, was a poet. Her older siblings, Marie-Aude and Lorris Murail, are also writers, and her brother Tristan Murail is a composer.
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About Her Life
Elvire Murail studied at the University of Cambridge. She started her writing journey by creating novels for adults. Her first book, Escalier C, was very successful. It was even made into a movie in 1984 by Jean-Charles Tacchella.
After writing four novels for adults, she began writing for young readers in 1989. This is when she started using her pen name, Moka. Under this name, she has written over seventy novels for young people. Most of these books were published by École des Loisirs in popular series like "Mouche," "Nine," and "Medium." Her novels are often mystery stories. They mix detective work with fantasy elements, perfect for teenagers aged 10 to 15.
Since 1996, Elvire Murail has worked to support good quality books for young people. She was part of the "Charte des Auteurs et Illustrateurs pour la Jeunesse" (Charter of Authors and Illustrators for Youth). She also helped with Sofia (Société française des intérêts des auteurs de l’écrit), an organization that looks after authors' rights. She is a member of other important writing groups too.
Besides writing books, she also works as a screenwriter. This means she helps write stories and dialogues for movies and television shows.
Books She Has Written
Under Her Own Name
- 1983: Escalier C
- 1984: La Plume de perroquet
- 1987: Les Mannequins d'osier
- 1990: Bingo !
Under Her Pen Name Moka
- La Lanterne bleue, 1991, illustrations by Yvan Pommaux
- Ailleurs (a series of three books)
- Ailleurs, rien n'est tout blanc ou tout noir, 1991
- Le puits d'amour, 1992
- A nous la belle vie, 1994
- Je m'excuse, 1992, illustrations by Serge Bloch
- Ma vie de star, 1992, illustrations by Olivier Matouk
- Chipies et les Inventeurs, 1992, illustrations by Fabienne Teyssèdre
- Un phare dans le ciel, 1993
- Thomas Face-de-Rat et Amélie Mélasse, 1993, illustrations by Mette Ivers
- Souï-Manga, 1993, illustrations by Joëlle Jolivet
- L'enfant des ombres, 1994
- Trois-Pommes, 1994, illustrations by Catherine Rebeyrol
- Nous, les filles, 1995, illustrations by Éric Heliot
- Ma vengeance sera terrible, 1995, illustrations by Anaïs Vaugelade
- La marque du diable, 1996
- Mon loup, 1996, illustrations by Mette Ivers
- Derrière la porte, 1997
- La chose qui ne pouvait pas exister, 1997
- Ah, la famille !, 1997, illustrations Mette Ivers
- Un ange avec des baskets , 1998
- Williams et nous, 1998
- Vilaine fille, 1999
- Bon à rien, 1999, illustrations Catherine Rebeyrol
- Cela, 2000
- L'écolier ..., 2000
- Joséphine a disparu, 2000, illustrations Edith
- Le Plus grand détective du monde, 2000, illustrations Jean-François Martin
- Le Dernier cadeau du Père Noël, 2000, with Marie-Aude Murail, illustrations Stéphane Jorisch
- La chambre du ..., 2001
- Le Poisson dans le bocal, 2001, illustrations Isabelle Bonameau
- Au pied de l'Arc-en-ciel, 2001, illustrations Catharina Valckx
- Le petit cœur brisé, 2002
- Un sale moment à passer, 2002
- Drôle de voleur !, 2002, illustrations Isabelle Bonameau
- Golem, a series written with Marie-Aude Murail and Lorris Murail.
- Magic Berber
- Joke
- Natacha
- Monsieur William
- Alias
- L'Esprit de la fôret, 2003
- Arthus et Pénélope
- Le mystère de la Ferté-des-Eaux, 2002
- Amour et trahison, 2003
- Bonne année ?, 2003
- Do you speak français ?, 2004
- Vive la révolution !, 2003, illustrations Frédéric Rébéna
- Jeu ..., 2003
- Les Malheurs d'Hortense, 2003, illustrations Magali Bonniol
- Il était trois fois, 2003, illustrations by Denise and Claude Millet
- Jusqu'au bout de la peur, 2004
- Tango, 2004
- Pourquoi ?, 2005
- Histoires de fées, 2006, illustrations Alice Charbin
- Sorcier !
- Menteurs, charlatans et soudards, 2006
- Le Frélampier, 2006
- Le Premier Temps du Chaos, 2007
- L'Honorable et le Monarque, 2007
- L'Étoile, 2008
- Les Quatre Dragons, 2008
- Secrets et confiture, 2008
- La fin du Monde, 2009
- C'est l'aventure, collective, 2010
- Frissons
- La Prophétie de Venise, 2012
- L'Immortel, 2013
- Kinra girls (12 volumes), illustrations Anne Cresci
Her Work in Film and TV
Elvire Murail has also contributed to movies and television. She has worked on scripts and dialogues.
Movies
- 1985: Escalier C directed by Jean-Charles Tacchella. She helped write the script and dialogues.
- 1988: La Maison de Jeanne directed by Magali Clément. She was an assistant screenwriter.
- 1988: La Septième dimension, directed by six co-directors. She helped write the script.
- 1989: Les Mannequins d'osier directed by Francis de Gueltzl. She wrote the script and dialogues.
- 1993: Une journée pour rien by Serge Halsdorf. She wrote the script and dialogues.
Television Shows
- 1993: Chambre froide, directed by Sylvain Madigan. She adapted the story and wrote dialogues.
- 1996: Un monde meilleur, directed by Laurent Dussaux. She was an assistant screenwriter and dialogue writer.
- 1997: La Vie en face, directed by Lisa del Bo. She wrote the script and dialogues.
- 1997: Un étrange héritage, directed by Laurent Dussaux. She was an assistant screenwriter and dialogue writer.
Awards and Honors
Elvire Murail has received several awards for her writing:
- Prix du premier roman (First Novel Prize) for Escalier C in 1983.
- Prix George Sand for Escalier C in 1984.
- Prix des Incorruptibles
- Tam-tam Je bouquine
- Prix du Polar (Mystery Prize)
- Grand prix de l'Imaginaire (Grand Prize for Imagination)
- Prix des Embouquineurs
- Prix de la SNCF for her book Pourquoi ?
She also received a scholarship twice from the National Center for Letters. Once for her book Un phare dans le ciel and another time for all her work for young people.
