Faïza Guène (born 7 June 1985) is a French writer and director, best known for her two novels, ''Kiffe kiffe demain'' and ''Du rêve pour les oufs''. She has also directed several short films, including ''Rien que des mots'' (2004).
Biography
Born in
Bobigny
Bobigny () is a commune, or town, in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Bobigny is the prefecture (capital city) of the Seine-Saint-Denis department, as well as the seat of the ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, in 1985, to parents of Algerian origin, Guène grew up in
Pantin
Pantin () is a Communes of France, commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. In 2019 its population was estimated to be 59,846. Pantin is located on the edge of ...
, in the northeastern suburbs of
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. She attended Collège Jean Jaurès, followed by Lycée Marcelin Berthelot in Pantin. She began studies in sociology at
Université Paris VIII, in
St-Denis, before abandoning them to pursue writing and directing full-time.
Her debut novel, ''Kiffe kiffe demain'', was published in 2004 when Guène was 19 years old. It has sold more than 400,000 copies and been translated into 26 different languages. The novel was translated into English in 2006 by
Sarah Ardizzone under the title ''Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow'' (US) and ''Just Like Tomorrow'' (UK) . Her second work, ''Du rêve pour les oufs,'' was released on 2006 in France and translated into English by Ardizzone as ''Dreams from the Endz''.
Guène has written for ''
Respect
Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or deferential action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also th ...
'' magazine since 2005.
In 2022, she was elected a
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...
International Writer.
Bibliography
*''Kiffe kiffe demain.'' Paris: Hachette Littératures, 2004.
*''Du rêve pour les oufs.'' Paris: Hachette Littératures, 2006.
*''Les gens du Balto.'' Paris: Hachette Littératures, 2008.
*''Un homme, ça ne pleure pas.'' Paris: Fayard, 2014.
*''Millénium Blues.'' Paris: Fayard, 2018.
*''La discrétion''. Paris: Plon, 2020
References
Sources
Publisher's biography*Sarah Adams
Interview with Faïza Guène. ''The Guardian'', 10 May 2006.
"Faïza Guène Biography" ''BookBrowse''.
Mini biography in French
Living people
1985 births
21st-century French women writers
French people of Algerian descent
Algerian writers
People from Bobigny
{{Beirut39