Vassilis Alexakis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vassilis Alexakis
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| Born | 25 December 1943 Athens, Greece |
| Died | 11 January 2021 (aged 77) Athens, Greece |
| Occupation | Writer, translator |
| Nationality | Greek |
| Period | 20th/21st century |
Vassilis Alexakis (Greek: Βασίλης Αλεξάκης) was a Greek-French writer and translator. He was born on December 25, 1943, and passed away on January 11, 2021. He wrote many novels in both Greek, his first language, and French. What made him unique was that he often translated his own books from one language to the other.
Contents
Life and Writing Journey
Vassilis Alexakis was born in Greece. His father, Giannis Alexakis, was an actor. Vassilis first traveled to France in 1961 to study journalism. He returned to Greece in 1964 to complete his military service.
In 1968, Greece was under a military government, which was a difficult time for many. Because of this, Vassilis moved to Paris, France, and stayed there. He spent most of his life in Paris but also visited Greece regularly.
Part of his experiences during his military service were even shown in a Greek film! The 1984 movie Loafing and Camouflage was directed by Nikos Perakis, who served alongside Alexakis. In the film, a character named Pvt. Savidis is based on Vassilis Alexakis.
Writing in Two Languages
Vassilis Alexakis often used ideas from both Greek and French cultures in his books. His very first book, Le Sandwich, was written in French and came out in 1974.
He later wrote his first book directly in Greek, called Talgo, which was published in 1981. He wanted to prove to himself that he could still write well in his native language. After Talgo, he also wrote La langue maternelle directly in Greek.
From then on, he would write each of his books in both French and Greek. He would even translate his own works, like Talgo, into the other language. His writing style often mixed humor with parts of his own life, history, and even fantasy.
Recognized Works
In 1995, Vassilis Alexakis received a very important award called the Prix Médicis for his book La langue maternelle. This showed how much his writing was appreciated.
Later, in 2007, he won another major award, the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française, for his novel Ap. J.-C..
His book Les mots étrangers was translated into English in 2006 by Alyson Waters. It was published with the title Foreign Words, becoming the first of his novels to be available in English.
Vassilis Alexakis passed away on January 11, 2021.
Books Written in French
- 1974: Le Sandwich
- 1975: Les Girls de City-Boum-Boum
- 1978: La Tête du chat
- 1978: Mon amour!
- 1985: Contrôle d’Identité
- 1987: Le fils de King Kong
- 1989: Paris-Athènes
- 1992: Avant (This book won several awards, including the Prix Albert Camus)
- 1995: La lange maternelle (He translated this himself from Greek; it won the Prix Médicis)
- 1997: Papa (This is a short story collection)
- 1997: L’invention du baiser
- 1999: Le colin d’Alaska
- 2002: Les mots étrangers (This book was translated into English as Foreign Words)
- 2005: Je t’oublierai tous les jours
- 2007: Ap. J.-C. (This book won the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française)
- 2010: Le premier mot
- 2012: L'enfant grec
Books Written in Greek
- 1980: Tάλγκο
- 1995: Η Μητρική γλώσσα
- 1999: Η καρδιά
See also
- In Spanish: Vassilis Alexakis para niños
