Christine Leunens (born 29 December 1964) is a New Zealand-Belgian novelist. She is the author of several novels including ''Caging Skies'', which was the basis and inspiration for the film ''

Jojo Rabbit ''Jojo Rabbit'' is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Taika Waititi, adapted from Christine Leunens's 2008 book ''Caging Skies''. Roman Griffin Davis portrays the title character, Johannes "Jojo" Betzler, a ten-year-old Hitler You ...

'', by New Zealand Film Director

Taika Waititi Taika David Cohen (born 16 August 1975), known professionally as Taika Waititi ( ), is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian. He is a recipient of an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award, and has received two nominations at t ...

Life

Leunens was born on 29 December 1964 in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, in the United States; her mother was Italian, her father Belgian. She has a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in French from the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

, and an ALM in literature from the

Harvard Extension School Harvard Extension School (HES) is the extension school of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school is one among 12 schools that grant degrees and falls under the Division of Continuing Education in the Harvard Faculty of Arts ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

. She moved to New Zealand in 2006, and received a grant from the International Institute of Modern Letters of

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

to write a novel as part of a PhD; she completed the degree in 2012 with a two-part

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

on ''Literary Mothers-in-Law''.

Literary career

In 1996 she won a prize for 'best scenario' from the

Centre National du Cinéma Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

in Paris. In 1999 her novel ''Primordial Soup'' was published. ''The Sunday Times'' described it as a "remarkable debut novel", and ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' as "kinky, grotesque and very funny" and "not for the faint of heart". In 2007 she published ''Caging Skies'', a World War II historical novel set in Vienna, which was described by ''Le Monde'' as a "beautiful novel, powerful, different, and ambitious" about "love so total that it locks up, isolates and colonises the partner until destruction annihilates the outside world". The French edition was nominated for the ''

Prix Médicis étranger Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell, who als ...

'' in 2007. Her third novel, ''A Can Of Sunshine'', written as part of her PhD, was published in 2013.

adapted ''Caging Skies'' into the

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

for the film ''

'', which won an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for 'best adapted screenplay' in 2019, as well as a

Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing, and is given to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful way. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of Paulist P ...

for writing "intended to promote human dignity, meaning and freedom". In 2022 Leunens published ''In Amber's Wake'', a novel "set against the background of the anti-nuclear movement, Springbok Tour and the Rainbow Warrior ombing. A film adaptation is being produced by Mimi Polk Gitlin.

Awards and residencies

* UNESCO City of Literature Prague Writer-in-Residence in 2023

Novels

* ''Primordial Soup'' (1999) * ''Caging Skies'' (2008) * ''A Can of Sunshine'' (2013) * ''In Amber's Wake'' (2022)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leunens, Christine International Institute of Modern Letters alumni Belgian women novelists 21st-century New Zealand novelists 21st-century New Zealand women writers New Zealand women novelists 21st-century Belgian women writers Harvard Extension School alumni European writers Academy Awards 1964 births Living people