Alexis Jenni
Alexis Jenni | |
---|---|
Alexis Jenni at a book signing in Lyon in November 2011. | |
Born | April 1963 Lyon, France |
Occupation | Novelist, biology teacher |
Genre | Historical fiction |
Notable works | L'Art français de la guerre |
Children | 3 |
Alexis Jenni (born 1963) is a French novelist and biology teacher. His debut novel, The French Art of War, won the 2011 Prix Goncourt, France's most prestigious literary award.[1]
Biography
Jenni was born in 1963 in Lyon, France. A father of three,[2] he has a degree in biology, and is a professor in the life sciences at the Lycée Saint-Marc in Lyon.[3]
Works
The French Art of War
His debut novel, L'Art français de la guerre (The French Art of War) was published on 18 August 2011, and was awarded the Prix Goncourt on 2 November 2011. In reaction to the award, Jenni said "I didn't even think I would be published, so the Goncourt wasn't even worth thinking about."[1] The novel deals with France's colonial history in Indochina and Algeria, and was partly inspired by the debate on French identity that developed under the government of President Nicolas Sarkozy. Rather than expressing his personal opinion on the debate, Jenni wanted to make his readers think about it themselves.[1][4] As well as winning the Prix Goncourt, the novel was shortlisted for the Prix Médicis and the Prix Femina.
L'Art français de la guerre was technically Jenni's third novel, but was the first to be published. He had previously written a novel which he never submitted to a publisher, and another which was not accepted.[5] According to Jenni, L'Art français de la guerre took five years to write. He stated that he was a "Sunday writer, just as there are Sunday painters."[6]
Le Passeport de monsieur Nansen
This book about Fridtjof Nansen was published in 2022.
References
- ^ a b c "French identity debate inspired Goncourt literary prize winner Jenni". RFI English. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
- ^ "When does a writer become a writer?" The Atlantic. 25 November 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
- ^ « Alexis Jenni remporte le Goncourt » (in French) Archived 2011-12-10 at the Wayback Machine. Libération.fr. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
- ^ Bruce Crumley. "Berets and Baguettes? France Rethinks Its Identity". Time. 4 November 2009. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- ^ Smith, Heather (2 November 2011). "Alexis Jenni Wins Goncourt, France's Top Literary Award, for War-Art Book". bloomberg.com. Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
- ^ "Biology teacher wins top French literary prize". France 24. Agence France-Presse. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
External links
- Alexis Jenni's blog (in French)
- v
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- e
- 1903 John Antoine Nau
- 1904 Léon Frapié
- 1905 Claude Farrère
- 1906 Jérôme Tharaud and Jean Tharaud
- 1907 Émile Moselly
- 1908 Francis de Miomandre
- 1909 Marius-Ary Leblond
- 1910 Louis Pergaud
- 1911 Alphonse de Châteaubriant
- 1912 André Savignon
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- 1922 Henri Béraud
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- 1924 Thierry Sandre
- 1925 Maurice Genevoix
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- 1928 Maurice Constantin-Weyer
- 1929 Marcel Arland
- 1930 Henri Fauconnier
- 1931 Jean Fayard
- 1932 Guy Mazeline
- 1933 André Malraux
- 1934 Roger Vercel
- 1935 Joseph Peyré
- 1936 Maxence Van der Meersch
- 1937 Charles Plisnier
- 1938 Henri Troyat
- 1939 Philippe Hériat
- 1940 Francis Ambrière
- 1941 Henri Pourrat
- 1942 Marc Bernard
- 1943 Marius Grout
- 1944 Elsa Triolet
- 1945 Jean-Louis Bory
- 1946 Jean-Jacques Gautier
- 1947 Jean-Louis Curtis
- 1948 Maurice Druon
- 1949 Robert Merle
- 1950 Paul Colin
- 1951 Julien Gracq
- 1952 Béatrix Beck
- 1953 Pierre Gascar
- 1954 Simone de Beauvoir
- 1955 Roger Ikor
- 1956 Romain Gary
- 1957 Roger Vailland
- 1958 Francis Walder
- 1959 André Schwarz-Bart
- 1960 Vintilă Horia
- 1961 Jean Cau
- 1962 Anna Langfus
- 1963 Armand Lanoux
- 1964 Georges Conchon
- 1965 Jacques Borel
- 1966 Edmonde Charles-Roux
- 1967 André Pieyre de Mandiargues
- 1968 Bernard Clavel
- 1969 Félicien Marceau
- 1970 Michel Tournier
- 1971 Jacques Laurent
- 1972 Jean Carrière
- 1973 Jacques Chessex
- 1974 Pascal Lainé
- 1975 Émile Ajar (Romain Gary)
- 1976 Patrick Grainville
- 1977 Didier Decoin
- 1978 Patrick Modiano
- 1979 Antonine Maillet
- 1980 Yves Navarre
- 1981 Lucien Bodard
- 1982 Dominique Fernandez
- 1983 Frédérick Tristan
- 1984 Marguerite Duras
- 1985 Yann Queffélec
- 1986 Michel Host
- 1987 Tahar Ben Jelloun
- 1988 Érik Orsenna
- 1989 Jean Vautrin
- 1990 Jean Rouaud
- 1991 Pierre Combescot
- 1992 Patrick Chamoiseau
- 1993 Amin Maalouf
- 1994 Didier Van Cauwelaert
- 1995 Andreï Makine
- 1996 Pascale Roze
- 1997 Patrick Rambaud
- 1998 Paule Constant
- 1999 Jean Echenoz
- 2000 Jean-Jacques Schuhl
- 2001 Jean-Christophe Rufin
- 2002 Pascal Quignard
- 2003 Jacques-Pierre Amette
- 2004 Laurent Gaudé
- 2005 François Weyergans
- 2006 Jonathan Littell
- 2007 Gilles Leroy
- 2008 Atiq Rahimi
- 2009 Marie NDiaye
- 2010 Michel Houellebecq
- 2011 Alexis Jenni
- 2012 Jérôme Ferrari
- 2013 Pierre Lemaitre
- 2014 Lydie Salvayre
- 2015 Mathias Énard
- 2016 Leïla Slimani
- 2017 Éric Vuillard
- 2018 Nicolas Mathieu
- 2019 Jean-Paul Dubois
- 2020 Hervé Le Tellier
- 2021 Mohamed Mbougar Sarr
- 2022 Brigitte Giraud
- 2023 Jean-Baptiste Andrea