Poisy
Poisy (; frp, Pouêzy) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is part of the urban area of Annecy.Chechnya,
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
, and
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. She is known for interviews and character portraits in print of civilians, especially women, and their experiences of war.
Early life
Anne Nivat is a French citizen who grew up in
Haute-Savoie
Haute-Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè d'Amont'' or ''Hiôta-Savouè''; en, Upper Savoy) or '; it, Alta Savoia. is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its prefecture is Ann ...
near the Swiss border and Geneva. Her father is Georges Nivat, who is a historian of Russia and translator of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and Nivat's mother taught her Russian. She is a resident of Paris and has also lived in Moscow.
Education
Nivat completed her doctorate in political science after education at
Paris Institute of Political Studies
, motto_lang = fr
, mottoeng = Roots of the Future
, type = Public research university''Grande école''
, established =
, founder = Émile Boutmy
, accreditation ...
, or Sciences Po, in Paris.
Nivat became an expert on politics in Russia. Her first book was about Russian media during the period of '' glasnost'' in the former
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
, the dissolution of the country, and its aftermath until 1995 (Anne Nivat, ''Quand les médias russes ont pris la parole : de la glasnost à la liberté d'expression: 1985-1995'', published in 1997). After a stay at Harvard University with the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies (1997-1998), she went to Russia and reported from Chechnya in 1999.
She said she was influenced by Polish journalist
Ryszard Kapuściński
Ryszard Kapuściński (; 4 March 1932 – 23 January 2007) was a Polish journalist, photographer, poet and author. He received many awards and was considered a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Kapuściński's personal journals in bo ...
, whom she later met before his death, and the well-known Italian journalist
Curzio Malaparte
Curzio Malaparte (; 9 June 1898 – 19 July 1957), born Kurt Erich Suckert, was an Italian writer, filmmaker, war correspondent and diplomat. Malaparte is best known outside Italy due to his works ''Kaputt'' (1944) and ''La pelle'' (1949). The f ...
, who covered the Eastern front during World War II and wrote his accounts in the books ''Kaputt'' (1944) and ''The Skin'' (1949).
She speaks several languages besides her native French, including Russian, English, and a working knowledge of Arabic.
Career
She began her reporting career at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and ''Transitions'' magazine in Prague, where she worked for three years between 1995 and 1997, including a stint under Michael Kaufman, a ''New York Times'' foreign correspondent and editor, while he was on leave.
As a journalist, Nivat is most known for her reporting from Chechnya in 1999-2000 where she worked for ''
Ouest France
''Ouest-France'' ( ; French for "West-France") is a daily French newspaper known for its emphasis on both local and national news. The paper is produced in 47 different editions covering events in different French départments within the régi ...
'' and as a special correspondent for '' Libération''. Nivat traveled to Moscow in September 1999, and when the Russians invaded Chechnya, she applied as a journalist for access but was denied. She gained access to the war zone by traveling there disguised as a Chechen woman and reported independently from Russian control. Nivat was in Chechnya for four months while she intermingled and blended with the local population and reported on the conflict during a ban on journalists until she was picked up by the Russian Federal Security Service and expelled. She says she believes her success in Chechnya was based on several factors: Chechnya is where she began her career as a war correspondent, and she said it was also her worst war experience, as she survived Russian military bombardment.
In 2001 Nivat wrote down the life story of the former FLN member Louisette Ighilahriz in the book ''Algérienne'', which was a bestseller when published. Since 2004, she has worked for '' Le Point'', a weekly French news magazine, and has also written for ''Le Soir'' and ''Le Nouvel Observateur'', as well as the French ''Huffington Post''. Her English-language journalism has appeared in ''USA Today'', ''U.S. News & World Report'', ''The Washington Post'', ''The New York Times'', and ''
Nieman Reports
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University is the primary journalism institution at Harvard. It was founded in February 1938 as the result of a $1.4 million bequest by Agnes Wahl Nieman, the widow of Lucius W. Nieman, founder of ...
''. For ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', she wrote a piece called "Life in the 'red zone'", which is about her experiences as a war correspondent in Iraq and is included in her French-language book about Iraq. She has also written about Afghanistan by comparing the Canadian soldiers who invited her to their camp and the civilians with whom they dealt.
In 2012, her Russian visa was annulled and she was expelled once again shortly after an interview with the Russian opposition and before the
presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...
. Days later, the immigration officer was fired and the Russian ambassador apologized and invited Nivat back to Russia. Her account was published by ''The New York Times''.
Publications
* ''Quand les médias russes ont pris la parole : de la glasnost à la liberté d'expression, 1985-1995,''
L'Harmattan
Éditions L'Harmattan, usually known simply as L'Harmattan (), is one of the largest French book publishers. It specialises in non-fiction books with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. It is named after the Harmattan, a trade wind in ...
, 1997
* ''Chienne de guerre : une femme reporter en Tchétchénie,'' Fayard, 2000 (
prix Albert-Londres
The Albert Londres Prize is the highest French journalism award, named in honor of journalist Albert Londres. Created in 1932, it was first awarded in 1933 and is considered the French equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. Three laureates are award ...
), Le Livre de Poche (The Pocket Book), 2001.
* ''Algérienne,'' with Louisette Ighilahriz, Fayard, 2001
* ''La Maison haute,'' Fayard, 2002, Le Livre de Poche (The Pocket Book), 2003
* ''La guerre qui n'aura pas eu lieu,'' Fayard, 2004
* ''Lendemains de guerre en Afghanistan et en Irak,'' 2004 ( prix littéraire de l'armée de terre - Erwan Bergot), Le Livre de Poche, 2005
* ''Islamistes, comment ils nous voient,'' 2006, Le Livre de Poche (The Pocket Book), 2010
* ''Par les monts et les plaines d'Asie Centrale,'' Fayard, 2006
* ''Bagdad Zone rouge,'' Fayard, 2008
* ''Correspondante de guerre,'' (avec Daphné Collignon), published by
Reporters sans frontières
Reporters Without Borders (RWB; french: Reporters sans frontières; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization with the stated aim of safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its advocacy as found ...
,
Soleil
SOLEIL ("Sun" in French) is a synchrotron facility near Paris, France. It performed its first acceleration of electrons on May 14, 2006. The name ''SOLEIL'' is a backronym for ''Source optimisée de lumière d’énergie intermédiaire du LURE ...
, Paris, 2009,
* ''Les Brouillards de la guerre,'' Fayard, 2011
* ''La République juive de Staline,'' Fayard 2013
* ''Dans Quelle France On Vit'', Fayard 2017
* ''Un continent derrière Poutine ?", Broché 2018
Awards
In 2000, Anne Nivat was awarded the prestigious Albert Londres Prize for the printed word for her book ''Chienne de Guerre: A Woman Reporter Behind the Lines of the War in Chechnya''. In addition, she received the third prize presented by the SAIS-Novartis International Journalism Award Program for the same reporting assignment.
In 2004, she won the Erwan Bergot literary prize for her book ''Lendemains de guerre'' (Translation: ''Aftermath of War'').