Chloé Delaume
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Chloé Delaume (; born Nathalie Dalain in 1973) is a French writer. She is also an editor and, more occasionally, a performer, musician, and singer. Her literary work, largely autobiographical, focuses on the practice of
experimental literature Experimental literature is a genre of literature that is generally "difficult to define with any sort of precision." It experiments with the conventions of literature, including boundaries of genres and styles; for example, it can be written in ...
,
feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
and the issue of
autofiction Autofiction is, in literary criticism, a form of fictionalized autobiography. Definition In autofiction, an author may decide to recount their life in the Third-person narrative, third person, to modify significant details and characters, use in ...
.


Biography

Born in 1973 to a French mother and a Lebanese father, Chloé Delaume spent part of her childhood in
Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
, where the
Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...
that began in 1975 eventually destroyed her home. In 1983, at ten years old, she witnessed her father murder her mother, and then kill himself. She is the niece of
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah Georges Ibrahim Abdallah (, born 2 April 1951) is a Lebanese militant, who founded the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions (LARF) and was convicted of terrorism. He is currently serving a life sentence at Lannemezan prison, France, for complicit ...
. She then went to live with her grandparents, and later with her uncle and aunt. Wanting to become a teacher like her mother, she enrolled in the Modern Literature program at Université de Paris X until her master's degree, and began an unfinished thesis on Pataphysics in the works of Boris Vian. Disillusioned with the academic system, she left the university and began writing while working as a sex worker in hostess bars.


Literary career

From 1998 to 2001 she worked as a literary critic for Matricule des Anges under her real name, while also beginning to publish texts in literary journals. Between 1999 and 2002 she was part of the core team of the literary journal, ''EvidenZ'',''EvidenZ'' No. 1
''LeLibraire.com'', 2000.
founded by
Mehdi Belhaj Kacem Mehdi Belhaj Kacem (born 17 April 1973, Paris) is a French-Tunisian actor, philosopher, and writer. Biography Mehdi Belhaj Kacem was born in Paris on April 17, 1973. He lived in Tunisia until he was 13. He was nominated for the Prix Michel Sim ...
(her husband until 2002). She published three texts in the journal, for the first time under the name Chloé Delaume. The first name 'Chloé' was borrowed from the heroine of
Boris Vian Boris Vian (; 10 March 1920 – 23 June 1959) was a French polymath who is primarily remembered for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan were bizarre parodies of criminal fiction, highly controversial at the time of th ...
's '' L'Écume des jours'', and the surname 'Delaume' came from
Antonin Artaud Antoine Maria Joseph Paul Artaud (; ; 4September 18964March 1948), better known as Antonin Artaud, was a French artist who worked across a variety of media. He is best known for his writings, as well as his work in the theatre and cinema. Widely ...
's work L'Arve et l'Aume: ' there is a death of civil identity because I did not choose it. One morning I said to myself, "Enough, my life does not suit me, who I am does not suit me, I will become someone else," and I made that decision." She left the journal after the second and final issue. Chloé Delaume published her first novel, "Les Mouflettes d'Atropos", in 2000 with Farrago. From September to December 2001 she was a resident at Centre international de poésie Marseille, where she wrote "Monologue pour épluchures d’Atrides", published in 2003 by CipM/Spectres familiers. In the fall of 2001, she won the
prix Décembre The , originally known as the ''Prix Novembre'', is one of France's premier literary awards. It was founded under the name ''Prix Novembre'' in 1989 by Philippe Dennery (Michel Dennery, according to other sources). In 1998, the founder resigned afte ...
. Between January 2005 and June 2007 she managed the forum for the television show "Arrêt sur images", a critical media program hosted by Daniel Schneidermann on
France 5 France 5 () is a French free-to-air public television channel, part of the France Télévisions group. Principally featuring nonfiction and educational programming, the channel's motto is ''la chaîne de la connaissance et du savoir'' (the knowl ...
that examines political, social, and cultural issues through the lens of media representation. She reported on the critiques and comments written there once a month on the show's set. Chloé Delaume was then nicknamed 'the forum manager.' During this period, she wrote and published "J’habite dans la télévision", which she adapted into performances. In 2008 she participated in the creation of the contemporary literature journal "Tina", published by èe. In 2010 she was named a Chevalière of Arts and Letters. That same year, she launched the event "À vous de lire", for which she served as a patron alongside
Frédéric Mitterrand Frédéric Mitterrand (21 August 1947 – 21 March 2024) was a French actor, screenwriter, producer, and politician who served as Minister of Culture and Communication of France from 2009 to 2012 under President Nicolas Sarkozy. Early life ...
. By the end of 2010 Chloé Delaume became the director of a collection titled «
Extraction Extraction may refer to: Science and technology Biology and medicine * Comedo extraction, a method of acne treatment * Dental extraction, the surgical removal of a tooth from the mouth Computing and information science * Data extraction, the ...
» for éditions Joca Seria, aiming to primarily publish
experimental literature Experimental literature is a genre of literature that is generally "difficult to define with any sort of precision." It experiments with the conventions of literature, including boundaries of genres and styles; for example, it can be written in ...
. She would go on to publish eleven titles in this collection. From April 2011 to April 2012, she was a resident at the
Villa Médicis The Villa Medici () is a sixteenth-century Italian Mannerist villa and an architectural complex with 7-hectare Italian garden, contiguous with the more extensive Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in the historic c ...
where she conducted research on Messalina and explored the intersections of magic and politics through performances. Between 6 May 2012 (the date of and 16 July 2012, she wrote a weekly column on
François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. Before his presidency, he was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of th ...
's presidency titled "Bienvenue à Normaland" on the website of
Arrêt sur images ''Arrêt sur images'' (" Freeze-frame", also abbreviated as the acronym ASI) was initially a weekly French television program, created and presented by journalist Daniel Schneidermann and broadcast on La Cinquième from 1995 (renamed France 5 in Ja ...
. In 2017 she developed the cycle "Liberté-Parité-Sororité" with the writer residency program of the Île-de-France region, at the Violette and Co bookstore, while conducting writing workshops at the Palais de la Femme. In 2019 she joined the reading committee of the literature department at
éditions du Seuil Éditions du Seuil (), also known as Le Seuil, is a French publishing house established in 1935 by Catholic intellectual Jean Plaquevent (1901–1965), and currently owned by La Martinière Groupe. It owes its name to this goal "The ''seuil'' (thr ...
. That same year, she became a member of the jury for the
Prix Décembre The , originally known as the ''Prix Novembre'', is one of France's premier literary awards. It was founded under the name ''Prix Novembre'' in 1989 by Philippe Dennery (Michel Dennery, according to other sources). In 1998, the founder resigned afte ...
. In 2020 she was awarded the prestigious
Prix Médicis The Prix Médicis () is a French literary award given each year in November. It was founded in 1958 by and .
for her novel '' Le Cœur synthétique''. In 2021 she held the column ''Au lance-flammes'' in the magazine Causette for six months. In 2021 she edited the collective work "Sororité", published by Points Féminisme, which features contributions from fourteen authors, including
Lydie Salvayre Lydie Salvayre (born ''Lydie Arjona'' in 1948) is a French writer. Born in the south of France to Republican refugees from the Spanish Civil War, she went on to study medicine in Toulouse and continues to work as a practicing psychiatrist. She ...
, Lola Lafon,
Ovidie Ovidie is a French director, actress, producer, journalist, former porn actress and a writer. First known as a porn actress from 1999 to 2003, she has since directed pornographic films as well as documentaries and has written several books. Over ...
, Camille Froidevaux-Metterie, and Alice Coffin. From 2021 to 2023 she organized a monthly reading event called "La petite veillée" at the feminist café "Chez Mona" in Paris, where she invited new voices and highlighted poetry. In 2023 she became the patron of Villa Valmont, a house dedicated to writing and landscapes, which opened its doors in April.


Engagement

In May 2022 she joined the parliament of Nouvelle Union populaire écologique et sociale. Chloé Delaume signed the op-ed published in the 19 January 2024 edition of the newspaper ''
Libération (), popularly known as ''Libé'' (), is a daily newspaper in France, founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968 in France, May 1968. Initially positioned on the far left of Fr ...
'', opposing the sponsorship of the 2024 edition of the "Printemps des poètes" by the writer Sylvain Tesson.


Family and personal life

Chloé Delaume is the niece of
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah Georges Ibrahim Abdallah (, born 2 April 1951) is a Lebanese militant, who founded the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions (LARF) and was convicted of terrorism. He is currently serving a life sentence at Lannemezan prison, France, for complicit ...
, incarcerated in France since 1984 and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987 for terrorist acts. In 1999 she married the philosopher
Mehdi Belhaj Kacem Mehdi Belhaj Kacem (born 17 April 1973, Paris) is a French-Tunisian actor, philosopher, and writer. Biography Mehdi Belhaj Kacem was born in Paris on April 17, 1973. He lived in Tunisia until he was 13. He was nominated for the Prix Michel Sim ...
but they separated in 2002. She remarried in 2006 to Thomas Scotto d'Abusco., and they divorced in 2013. For a time, she shared her life with Daniel Schneidermann, from whom she has since separated. They co-wrote "Où le sang nous appelle", published in 2013.


Literary work

Chloé Delaume has written numerous novels that reflect an original poetic and formal exploration. Her work is primarily experimental.
Autofiction Autofiction is, in literary criticism, a form of fictionalized autobiography. Definition In autofiction, an author may decide to recount their life in the Third-person narrative, third person, to modify significant details and characters, use in ...
, technology and the digital realm, 'bio-power,' play, and the stakes of literature are recurring themes in her work, which has been tinged with feminism since its beginnings. She defines her literary endeavor as a 'politics of revolution of the self,' with an internal intention to 'refuse the fables that saturate reality, the collective, familial, cultural, religious, institutional, social, economic, political, and media fictions.' (La Règle du Je) She cites multiple sources of inspiration, ranging from
Pierre Guyotat Pierre Guyotat (9 January 1940 – 7 February 2020) was a French literary avant-garde writer who wrote fiction, non-fiction, and plays. He is best known for his 1967 novel ''Tombeau pour cinq cent mille soldats'' (''Tomb for 500,000 Soldiers''), ...
to Christine Angot, as well as
Marguerite Duras Marguerite Germaine Marie Donnadieu (, 4 April 1914 – 3 March 1996), known as Marguerite Duras (), was a French novelist, playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and experimental filmmaker. Her script for the film ''Hiroshima mon amour'' (1959) ea ...
,
Sophie Calle Sophie Calle (; born 9 October 1953) is a French writer, photographer, installation artist, and conceptual artist. Daughter of the contemporary art collector Robert Calle, Calle's work is distinguished by its use of arbitrary sets of constrai ...
,
Guillaume Apollinaire Guillaume Apollinaire (; ; born Kostrowicki; 26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist and art critic of Poland, Polish descent. Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of the ...
, and the verses of
Jean Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ; ; 22 December 1639 – 21 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille, as well as an important literary figure in the Western tr ...
. Beyond her literary work, she composes texts with Julien Locquet, which she performs on albums by the band Dorine Muraille. This collaboration also leads to multimedia performances. She also participates in writing radio plays for
France Culture France Culture () is a French public radio channel and part of Radio France Radio France () is the French national public radio broadcaster. Stations Radio France offers seven national networks: *France Inter — Radio France's "generalist ...
, such as Transhumances in 2006. Her literary shock, the moment when she says she 'entered into literature,' was the reading of '' L'Écume des jours'' by
Boris Vian Boris Vian (; 10 March 1920 – 23 June 1959) was a French polymath who is primarily remembered for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan were bizarre parodies of criminal fiction, highly controversial at the time of th ...
. She wrote an essay on the influence of Boris Vian on her work, titled Les juins ont tous la même peau, borrowed from Vian's novel Les morts ont tous la même peau. '' Le Cri du sablier'', published by , earned her the
prix Décembre The , originally known as the ''Prix Novembre'', is one of France's premier literary awards. It was founded under the name ''Prix Novembre'' in 1989 by Philippe Dennery (Michel Dennery, according to other sources). In 1998, the founder resigned afte ...
in 2001. It can be considered the second part of an autofictional trilogy that began with "Les Mouflettes d'Atropos" and concluded with "La Vanité des somnambules". In 2004, in "Certainement pas", she draws inspiration from the game
Cluedo ''Cluedo'' (), known as ''Clue'' in North America, is a murder mystery game for three to six players (depending on editions) that was devised in 1943 by British board game designer Anthony E. Pratt. The game was first manufactured by Waddingt ...
as a narrative framework. In 2007, she published a
game book A gamebook is a work of printed fiction that allows the reader to participate in the story by making choices. The narrative branches along various paths, typically through the use of numbered paragraphs or pages. Each narrative typically does not ...
, "La nuit je suis Buffy Summers", based on the universe of the TV series
Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...
. " Dans ma maison sous terre", published in 2009, pushes the performative aspect of her work to its peak: the novel becomes a weapon with the sole intention of provoking the death of Chloé Delaume's grandmother. In 2012 she published "Une femme avec personne dedans" (
Seuil Seuil () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ardennes department The following is a list of the 447 communes of the Ardennes department of France France, officially ...
). In 2013 she co-authored Où le sang nous appelle (
Seuil Seuil () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ardennes department The following is a list of the 447 communes of the Ardennes department of France France, officially ...
) with Daniel Schneidermann, a novel dedicated to
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah Georges Ibrahim Abdallah (, born 2 April 1951) is a Lebanese militant, who founded the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions (LARF) and was convicted of terrorism. He is currently serving a life sentence at Lannemezan prison, France, for complicit ...
, who is both her uncle and the presumed leader of the
Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions The Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions – LARF ( , ''Al Fasael al-Musallaha al-Thawriyya al-Lubnaniyya'') was a small Marxist-Leninist urban guerrilla group which played an active role in the Lebanese Civil War between 1979 and 1988. Ori ...
. He was sentenced to life imprisonment during a trial held in France in 1987, accused of the assassination of Israeli and American diplomats, a trial that Schneidermann covered as a journalist for ''
Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...
''. In 2015 she experimented with digital writing and published "Alienare", a hybrid book combining text, film, and music, with illustrator
Franck Dion Franck can refer to: People * Franck (name) Other * Franck, Argentina, town in Santa Fe Province, Argentina * Franck (company), Croatian coffee and snacks company * Franck (crater), Lunar crater named after James Franck See also * Franc (di ...
. She stated to Rue89: 'With hybridity, one can suddenly touch upon something that is a form of total art. In 2016 she published "Les Sorcières de la République", a whimsical dystopia where the feminist revolution fails due to rivalry among women. She continued her reflection on sisterhood by publishing "Mes bien chères sœurs" in 2019, choosing the formal structure of an open letter. In 2020 she addressed the issue of the invisibility of women approaching 50 and their obsolescence in the market of love. She published '' Le Cœur synthétique'', a parody of a romantic comedy, which won the
Prix Médicis The Prix Médicis () is a French literary award given each year in November. It was founded in 1958 by and .
. In 2023 she published '' Pauvre folle'' (Seuil), a novel about a strange, obsessive love. In 2024 she released '' Phallers'', a fiction in which girls and women suddenly gain the psychic ability to make the phallus of sexual aggressors implode. Published by Points Feminismes, the book's tagline states, "We don't know what to invent anymore to make men stop raping."


Bibliography

* ''Les Mouflettes d'Atropos'', Éditions Farrago, 2000 * ''Mes Week-ends sont pires que les vôtres'', Éditions du Néant, 2001 * ''Le Cri du sablier'', Éditions farrago/Léo Scheer, 2001 * ''La Vanité des Somnambules'', Éditions Farrago/Léo Scheer, 2003 * ''Monologue pour épluchures d'Atrides'', Éditions du C.I.P.M., 2003 * ''Corpus Simsi'', Éditions Léo Scheer, 2003 * ''Certainement pas'', Éditions Verticales, 2004 * ''Les Juins ont tous la même peau'', Éditions La Chasse au Snark, 2005 * ''J'habite dans la télévision'', Éditions Verticales, 2006 * ''Neuf Leçons de littérature'', 2007 * ''Chanson de geste & Opinions'', Éditions Mac/Val, 2007 * ''La Dernière Fille avant la guerre'', Éditions Naïve Sessions, 2007 * ''La Nuit je suis
Buffy Summers Buffy Anne Summers is the title character of the ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' before going on to appear in The WB/ UPN 1997–2003 television series and subsequent 1998â ...
'', Éditions èe, 2007 * ''Transhumances'', Éditions èe, 2007 * ''Dans ma maison sous terre'', Seuil (Fiction & cie collection), 2008 * ''Eden matin midi et soir'', Joca Seria, 2009 * ''Narcisse et ses aiguilles'', L'une et l'autre, 2009 * ''Au commencement était l'adverbe'', 2010 * ''La Règle du je'', PUF, 2010 * ''Sillages'', Cadex, 2010 * ''Le Deuil des deux syllabes'', L'une et l'autre, 2011 * ''Une femme avec personne dedans'', Seuil, 2012 * ''Perceptions, illustrations de François Alary'', éditions Joca Seria, 2012 * ''Où le sang nous appelle'', avec Daniel Schneidermann, Seuil, 2013 * ''Les Sorcières de la République'', Seuil, 2016 * ''Mes Bien Chères Sœurs'', Seuil, 2019


External links


Official Site

Interview (French)

Cerisy autofiction symposium speech (French)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delaume, Chloe 1973 births Living people Writers from Paris 21st-century French novelists Prix Décembre winners French women novelists French people of Lebanese descent Paris Nanterre University alumni Gamebook writers Prix Médicis winners 21st-century French women