Annie Ernaux

Annie Ernaux was born in Lillebonne, France, in 1940. She studied at the University of Rouen and worked as a teacher at the Centre National d'Enseignement par Correspondence. Her short, autobiographical narratives—usually not exceeding one hundred pages—explore themes from her childhood, her relationships with her parents, and her romantic partners, all while maintaining their vibrancy, strength, and insight: "Les armoires vides" (1974), "Ce qu'ils disent ou rien" (1977), "La place" (1984, translated into Greek as "Η θέση" by Hatzinikoli), "Une femme" (1987), "Passion simple" (1991, translated into Greek as "Πάθος" by Hatzinikoli), "Journal du dehors" (1993), "La honte" (1997, translated into Greek as "Ντροπή" by Hatzinikoli), "Je ne suis pas sortie de ma nuit" (1999, translated into Greek as "Δεν βγήκα από το σκοτάδι μου" by Hatzinikoli), "L'evenement" (2000), "La vie exterieure" (2000), "Se perdre" (2001, translated into Greek as "Χάνομαι" by Hatzinikoli), "L'occupation" (2002), and "L'ecriture comme un couteau"—interviews with Frederic-Yves Jeannet (2003). In a television portrait prepared for the Ministry of Culture by Timothy Miller in 2000, Annie Ernaux claims that two elements dominate her writing: social inequality, the divide between her familial social environment and the literary world she chose to pursue, and male dominance in the world. Far from anything that could be a product of imagination, she seeks reality through her memories, senses, and emotions, whether they pertain to feelings of social shame or passion. "In my opinion," she says, "there is no creative work or work on form that does not have reality as its starting point." In 2001, she published her personal diary titled "Se perdre" ("Getting Lost"). Her works are taught in French schools as contemporary classic literature. In 1984, her autobiographical work "La place" was awarded the Renaudot Prize. Her book "Les années" (Éditions Gallimard, 2008) was honored with the Marguerite Duras Prize (2008) and the François Mauriac Prize (2008).