Philippe Besson
French writer (born 1967)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
- 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 |
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| Notable awards | |
Life
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]
Major works
- En l'absence des hommes, Éditions Julliard, 2001, ISBN 9782260015642
- In the Absence of Men, translated by Frank Wynne, Heinemann 2003, Carroll & Graf, 2003, ISBN 978-0-7867-1161-1
- Son frère, Julliard, 2001, ISBN 978-2-260-01586-4
- His Brother, translated by Frank Wynne, Heinemann, 2004, ISBN 978-0-434-01211-4
- L'arrière saison, Julliard, 2002, ISBN 978-2-260-01610-6 (inspired by Edward Hopper's painting Nighthawks)
- Un garçon d'Italie, Julliard, 2003, ISBN 978-2-260-01642-7 (which was shortlisted for both the Prix Goncourt and the Prix Médicis.)
- Les Jours fragiles, Julliard, 2004, ISBN 978-2-260-01641-0 (focussing on the last days of Rimbaud, it has been optioned by François Dupeyron for the cinema.)
- Un instant d'abandon: roman, Julliard, 2005, ISBN 978-2-260-01681-6
- Se résoudre aux adieux: roman, Julliard, 2007, ISBN 978-2-260-01726-4
- The Accidental Man
- Arrête avec tes mensonges, Éditions Julliard, 2017, ISBN 9782260029885
- Lie with Me, translated by Molly Ringwald, Scribner, 2019, ISBN 9780241987094
- Un Personnage de Roman - Macron par Besson, French and European Publications Inc, 2017, ISBN 978-1547902231