Françoise Sagan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Françoise Sagan
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| Born | Françoise Delphine Quoirez 21 June 1935 Cajarc, France |
| Died | 24 September 2004 (aged 69) Honfleur, France |
| Resting place | Cimetière de Seuzac, Cajarc, France |
| Occupation | |
| Spouse | Guy Schoeller Bob Westhoff |
| Children | 1 |
Françoise Sagan (born Françoise Delphine Quoirez; 21 June 1935 – 24 September 2004) was a famous French writer. She wrote many novels, plays, and screenplays. Sagan was known for her stories about wealthy characters who often felt a bit lost or unhappy, exploring themes of love and feelings. Her most famous book was her first one, Bonjour Tristesse (which means Hello Sadness), published in 1954 when she was still a teenager.
Contents
About Françoise Sagan
Her Early Life and Writing Career
Françoise Sagan was born on June 21, 1935, in a town called Cajarc, in France. She spent her early childhood there, surrounded by animals, which she loved very much throughout her life. Her family was well-off; her father was a company director, and her mother came from a family that owned land.
During World War II (1939–1945), her family moved to different parts of France to stay safe. After the war, they returned to their home in Paris. Françoise had a bit of a rebellious spirit. She was even asked to leave her first school, a convent, because she wasn't very serious about religious studies. She later got her high school diploma and started studying at the Sorbonne in 1952, but she wasn't a very keen student and didn't finish her degree.
She chose the name "Sagan" as her pen name (a name writers use instead of their real one) from a character in a famous French book series by Marcel Proust. Her first novel, Bonjour Tristesse, came out in 1954 when she was just 18 years old. It became a huge success all over the world right away! The book is about a 17-year-old girl named Cécile and her life with her boyfriend and her father.
Over her writing career, which lasted until 1998, Françoise Sagan wrote many books. A lot of her works were even turned into movies. She had a special way of writing, focusing on the inner thoughts and feelings of her characters. Besides novels, she also wrote plays, song lyrics, and screenplays for films. In the 1960s, she focused more on writing plays, but she later returned to writing novels, which were more successful for her.
Her Personal Life
Françoise Sagan was married two times. Her first marriage was in 1958 to Guy Schoeller, an editor. They divorced in 1960. In 1962, she married Bob Westhoff, who was an artist. They had a son named Denis Westhoff in June 1962, but they divorced the next year.
She enjoyed traveling, especially to the United States, where she met famous people like Truman Capote and Ava Gardner.
In 2010, her son Denis created a special award for writers called the Prix Françoise Sagan, in her honor.
Her Later Years and Passing
Françoise Sagan's health was not very good in her later years. She passed away on September 24, 2004, at the age of 69, in Honfleur, France. She was buried in Seuzac, close to her hometown of Cajarc, as she had wished.
When she died, the French President, Jacques Chirac, said that France had lost "one of its most brilliant and sensitive writers." Françoise Sagan even wrote her own short obituary for a book, saying that her first novel caused a stir worldwide, and her death was a scandal only for herself.
Françoise Sagan's Work in Film
Françoise Sagan's life story was made into a movie called Sagan. It was directed by Diane Kurys and released in France in 2008. The French actress Sylvie Testud played Françoise Sagan in the film.
Her Books and Plays
Novels
- Bonjour Tristesse (1954, Hello Sadness)
- Un certain sourire (1955, A Certain Smile)
- Dans un mois, dans un an (1957, Those Without Shadows)
- Aimez-vous Brahms? (1959, Do You Like Brahms?)
- Les merveilleux nuages (1961, Wonderful Clouds)
- La chamade (1965, That Mad Ache)
- Le garde du cœur (1968, The Heart-Keeper)
- Un peu de soleil dans l'eau froide (1969, Sunlight on Cold Water)
- Des bleus à l'âme (1972, Scars on the Soul)
- Un profil perdu (1974, Lost Profile)
- Le lit défait (1977, The Unmade Bed)
- Le chien couchant (1980, Salad Days)
- La femme fardée (1981, The Painted Lady)
- Un orage immobile (1983, The Still Storm)
- De guerre lasse (1985, Engagements of the Heart / A Reluctant Hero)
- Un sang d'aquarelle (1987, Painting in Blood)
- La laisse (1989, The Leash)
- Les faux-fuyants (1991, Evasion)
- Un chagrin de passage (1994, A Fleeting Sorrow)
- Le miroir égaré (1996)
- Les Quatre coins du coeur, Paris, Plon, 2019
Short Story Collections
- Des yeux de soie (1975, Silken Eyes)
- Musiques de scène (1981, Incidental Music)
- La maison de Raquel Vega (1985)
Plays
- Château en Suède (Château in Sweden) (1960)
- Les violons parfois (1961)
- La robe mauve de Valentine (1963)
- Bonheur, impair et passe (1964)
- L'écharde (1966)
- Le cheval évanoui (1966)
- Un piano dans l'herbe (1970)
- Il fait beau jour et nuit (1978)
- L'excès contraire (1987)
Ballet
- Le Rendezvous Manqué (1958)
Autobiographical Works
- Toxique (1964, a journal)
- Réponses (1975, Night Bird: Conversations with Françoise Sagan)
- Avec mon meilleur souvenir (1984, With Fondest Regards)
- Au marbre: chroniques retrovées 1952–1962 (1988, collected writings)
- Répliques (1992, interviews)
- ...Et toute ma sympathie (1993, a follow-up to Avec mon meilleur souvenir)
- Derrière l'épaule (1998, autobiography)
Biographical Works
- Brigitte Bardot (1975)
- Sarah Bernhardt, ou le rire incassable (1987, Dear Sarah Bernhardt)
Selected Films Based on Her Works
- Bonjour Tristesse, directed by Otto Preminger (1958, based on her novel Bonjour Tristesse)
- A Certain Smile, directed by Jean Negulesco (1958, based on her novel A Certain Smile)
- Love Play, directed by François Moreuil and Fabien Collin (1961, based on her short story La Récréation)
- Goodbye Again, directed by Anatole Litvak (1961, based on her novel Aimez-vous Brahms?)
- Nutty, Naughty Chateau, directed by Roger Vadim (1963, based on her play Château en Suède)
- La Chamade, directed by Alain Cavalier (1968, based on her novel La Chamade)
- Un peu de soleil dans l'eau froide, directed by Jacques Deray (1971, based on her novel Un peu de soleil dans l'eau froide)
- The Blue Ferns, directed by Françoise Sagan (1977, TV film, based on her short story Des yeux de soie)
- Bonheur, impair et passe, directed by Roger Vadim (1977, TV film, based on her play Bonheur, impair et passe)
- De guerre lasse, directed by Robert Enrico (1987, based on her novel De guerre lasse)
- La Femme fardée, directed by José Pinheiro (1990, based on her novel La Femme fardée)
- Château en Suède, directed by Josée Dayan (2008, TV film, based on her play Château en Suède)
Screenwriter for Films
- Landru, directed by Claude Chabrol (1963)
- The Ball of Count Orgel, directed by Marc Allégret (1970)
See also
In Spanish: Françoise Sagan para niños
