''Hygiene and the Assassin'' (french: Hygiène de l'assassin, lit. "The Assassin's Hygiene") is the first novel by the Belgian novelist

Amélie Nothomb Baroness Fabienne Claire Nothomb (), better known by her pen name Amélie Nothomb (; born 13 August 1967),''État présent de la noblesse belge'', éditions of 1979, 1995 and 2010. Her birth is announced in n° 87, aout 1967, p. 340 of the ''Bull ...

. It was published in 1992 by Albin Michel. The novel is written almost entirely in dialogue.

Plot

The famous novelist Prétextat Tach is stricken by "Elzenveiverplatz syndrome" (an imaginary syndrome invented by the author), a cancer of the cartilage, and has only two more months to live. Almost immediately, many journalists rush to interview Tach for a scoop. However, after the first few interviews, the reader realizes that Tach is an obese and obnoxious

misanthrope Misanthropy is the general hatred, dislike, distrust or contempt of the human species, human behavior or human nature. A misanthrope or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings. The word's origin is from the Greek words μῖσ� ...

of the worst kind: acerbic, intolerant, a provocateur and a misogynist, who cannot tolerate any questions about his private life and has the audacity to turn the interviews into a cesspool of disgust for his interviewers. Thus, all the interviews fall short, until Nina, a relatively unknown journalist becomes the latest victim of the novelist. Unlike all the other journalists before, however, this journalist is a woman, so that the interview quickly takes the form of a confrontation between the journalist and the

Nobel literature prize ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

laureate. In a locked room full of mysteries, she will challenge the odious misogyny of Tach and, as the questions and answers wear on, confront Tach with the demons of his former life. By the end of the story, the novelist is revealed to be a murderer with a strange obsession about the filthiness he thinks puberty brings upon girls and turns them into adult women, and how his spirit will live on even in death. Nina ends up strangling Tach, mirroring a scene in Tach's book.

Film adaptation

The novel was adapted for film by François Ruggieri in 1999. It starred Jean Yanne as Prétextat Tach,

Barbara Schulz Barbara Schulz is a French actress who won the Prix Suzanne Bianchetti in 2001. She was nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actress for the 1999 film ''La Dilettante''. For her performances on the stage, Schulz has been nominated ...

as Nina, as well as Catherine Hiegel, Sophie Broustal, Jean Prat and Richard Gotainer. There are some differences between the novel and the film. The film omits the entire chapter where four journalists are expelled by the writer and adds a police investigation. Prétextat Tach is less disgusting than in the book. A character, left for dead in the novel, has survived in the film.

References

{{Authority control 1992 Belgian novels French-language novels Novels by Amélie Nothomb Novels about writers Belgian novels adapted into films 1992 debut novels Éditions Albin Michel books