Philippe Besson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Author
- Screenwriter
Philippe Besson | |
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 Besson at Radio France | |
| Born | 29 January 1967 (age 59) Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire, Charente, France |
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| Language | French |
| Nationality | French |
| Alma mater | Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Rouen |
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| Notable works | |
| Notable awards | |
Philippe Besson (born 29 January 1967) is a French writer, playwright and screenwriter.[1] Besson was born in Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire, Charente, and has written a total of 23 novels, several of which have been adapted for cinema or theater.
Besson grew up the child of schoolteacher father and a notary clerk mother. Besson was often mocked by his classmates because of his appearance, his clothes and his manners. During his final school year, he fell in love with a peasant's son in his village in Charente, but they were forced to hide their relationship.[2] Besson attended l'École supérieure de commerce de Rouen, now called Neoma Business School.
In 1999, Besson, a law graduate, was inspired to write his first novel, En l'absence des hommes, while reading of accounts of ex-servicemen during the First World War.[3] The novel won the Prix Emmanuel Roblès. Besson's second novel, Son Frère was shortlisted for the Prix Femina, and adapted for cinema by Patrice Chéreau in 2003.[4] The film was well received and won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.[5]
Besson's novel Arrête avec tes mensonges (published in English under the title Lie with Me) received critical acclaim, became a bestseller in France, and won several awards including the Prix Maison de la Presse and Prix Psychologies du roman inspirant.[6][7][8] The book was adapted in 2022 into a movie of the same name, which premiered in the Angoulême Francophone Film Festival on August 27, 2022.[9][10] The novel was also adapted into a play performed in January 2023 at the Théâtre de la Tempête in Paris.[11]
