Hervé Guibert (14 December 1955 – 27 December 1991) was a French writer and photographer. The author of numerous novels and autobiographical studies, he played a considerable role in changing French public attitudes to

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

. He was a close friend and lover of

Michel Foucault Paul-Michel Foucault ( , ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French History of ideas, historian of ideas and Philosophy, philosopher who was also an author, Literary criticism, literary critic, Activism, political activist, and teacher. Fo ...

Early life and career

Guibert was born in

Saint-Cloud Saint-Cloud () is a French commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. Like other communes of Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine and Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of France's wealthie ...

Hauts-de-Seine Hauts-de-Seine (; ) is a department in the Île-de-France region of France. It covers Paris's western inner suburbs. It is bordered by Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne to the east, Val-d'Oise to the north, Yvelines to the west and ...

, to a middle-class family and spent his early years in Paris, moving to

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department. Wi ...

from 1970 to 1973. After working as a filmmaker and actor, he turned to photography and journalism. In 1978, he successfully applied for a job at France's evening paper ''

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 ...

'' and published his second book, ''Les Aventures singulières'' (published by Éditions de Minuit). In 1984, Guibert shared a

César Award for Best Original Screenplay The César Award for Best Original Screenplay () is an award presented by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma. It was initially awarded from 1983 to 1985, and then awarded again in 2006, when the original category (César Award for Bes ...

with

Patrice Chéreau Patrice Chéreau (; ; 2 November 1944 – 7 October 2013) was a French opera and theatre director, filmmaker, actor and producer. In France he is best known for his work for the theatre, internationally for his films '' La Reine Margot'' and ''I ...

for '' L'homme blessé''. Guibert had met Chéreau in the 1970s during his theatrical years. He won a scholarship between 1987 and 1989 at Villa Medicis in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

with his friend, writer Mathieu Lindon. He described these years in ''L'Incognito'', published in 1989. Guibert's writing style was inspired by the French writer

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; ; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Th ...

and, later, by the work of Austrian writer

Thomas Bernhard Nicolaas Thomas Bernhard (; 9 February 1931 – 12 February 1989) was an Austrian novelist, playwright, poet and polemicist who is considered one of the most important German-language authors of the postwar era. He explored themes of death, iso ...

. Three of his lovers occupied an important place in his life and work: Thierry Jouno, director of the International Visual Theatre for the deaf in Paris, whom he met in 1976;

, whom he met in 1977; and Vincent Marmousez, a teenager of fifteen who inspired his novel ''Fou de Vincent'' (published in English as ''Crazy for Vincent''). For a time in the 1980s Guibert was a reader at the institute for young blind in Paris, Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles, which led to his novel ''Des aveugles'' (published in English as ''Blindsight''). In January 1988 Guibert was diagnosed with

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

. From then on, he worked at recording what was left of his life. In June the following year, he married Christine, the partner of Thierry Jouno, so that his royalty income would eventually pass to her and her two children. In 1990, Guibert publicly revealed his HIV status in his

roman à clef A ''roman à clef'' ( ; ; ) is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people and the "key" is the relationship between the non-fiction and the fiction. This m ...

'' À l'ami qui ne m'a pas sauvé la vie'' (published in English as ''To the Friend Who Did Not Save My Life''). Nina Bouraoui in ''The Guardian'' described the book thus:

"In this book, he tells the story of his illness, AIDS, in the late 1980s. He tells of how life with the virus became an existential adventure, how it affected a generation, how it stole his friends and lovers, and how writing was for him a bulwark against death and destruction. It's the story of an era, a turning point – when AIDS transformed our relationship with desire and sexuality forever."

Upon publication, Guibert immediately found himself the focus of media attention, featured in newspapers and appearing on several television talk shows, including

Apostrophes The apostrophe (, ) is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritical mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet and some other alphabets. In English, the apostrophe is used for two basic purposes: * The marking of the omission of one o ...

, a literary program with a wide audience. ''To the Friend Who Did Not Save My Life'' was followed by two additional autofictional novels detailing the progress of his illness: ''Le Protocole compassionnel'' (1991; published in English as ''The Compassionate Protocol'') and ''L'Homme au chapeau rouge'' (published in English as ''The Man in the Red Hat''), which was released posthumously in January 1992. In his last work, ''Cytomégalovirus'' (1992), he describes a hospitalization in autumn 1991 and his increasing blindness caused by disease. Between July 1990 and February 1991, Guibert filmed scenes from his daily life living with AIDS, which became the film '' La Pudeur ou l'impudeur.'' The film was produced by Pascale Breugnot and edited by Maureen Mazurek and was broadcast posthumously on French television. According to scholar Ross Chambers, the title (which can be roughly translated as "decorum or indecorum") refers to questions of how to present the realities of illness and death to an audience "readily shocked by what it does not wish to know about". In December 1991, Guibert attempted to end his life by taking digitalin. He died two weeks later, on 27 December 1991. In 2022, the journalist and writer Mathieu Lindon published ''Hervelino'' (

Semiotext(e) Semiotext(e) is an independent publisher of critical theory, fiction, philosophy, art criticism, activist texts and non-fiction. History Founded in 1974, ''Semiotext(e)'' began as a journal that emerged from a semiotics reading group led by Syl ...

). Translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman, the book chronicles the start of their friendship, along with Foucault, as well as the years they both spent living in Rome. ''Letters to Eugène: Correspondence 1977–1987'' (Semiotext(e)) was published the same year. The book details correspondences between Guibert and Eugène Savitzkaya and is translated by Christine Pichini.

Publications

* ''La Mort propagande'', R. Deforges, Paris, 1977 ** ''Propaganda Death'', translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman in ''Written in Invisible Ink: Selected Stories'',

, 2020 * ''Zouc par Zouc'', Balland, (1978) * ''Suzanne et Louise : roman-photo'', Hallier, « Illustrations, » Paris, 1980 ** ''Suzanne and Louise'', translated by

Christine Pichini Christine may refer to: People * Christine (name), a female given name Film * ''Christine'' (1958 film), based on Schnitzler's play ''Liebelei'' * ''Christine'' (1983 film), based on Stephen King's novel of the same name * ''Christine'' ( ...

, Magic Hour Press, 2024 * ''L'Image fantôme'', Minuit, Paris, 1981 ** ''Ghost Image'', translated by Robert Bonnono, Sun and Moon, 1996; University of Chicago Press, 2014 * ''Les Aventures singulières'', Minuit, Paris, 1982 ** ''Singular Adventures'', translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman in ''Written in Invisible Ink: Selected Stories'', Semiotext(e), 2020 * ''Les Chiens'', Minuit, Paris, 1982 ** ''The Dogs'', translated by Thomas Ayouti and Ben Koonar, Semiotext(e), 2025 * ''Voyage avec deux enfants'', Minuit, Paris, 1982 * ''Les Lubies d'Arthur'', Minuit, Paris, 1983 ** ''Arthur's Whims'', translated by Dana Lupo, Spurl, 2021 * '' L'Homme blessé : scénario et notes'', screenplay by

, Minuit, Paris, 1983 * ''Le Seul Visage'', photographies, Minuit, Paris, 1984 ** ''The Only Face'', translated by

, Magic Hour Press, 2025 * ''Des aveugles'', Gallimard, Paris, 1985 ( Fénéon Prize, 1985) ** ''Blindsight'', translated by

James Kirkup James Harold Kirkup (23 April 1918 – 10 May 2009) was an English poet, translator and travel writer. He wrote more than 45 books, including autobiographies, novels and plays. He wrote under many pen-names including James Falconer, Aditya Jha, ...

, Quartet, 1995 * ''Mes parents'', Gallimard, Paris, 1986 ** ''My Parents'', translated by Liz Heron, Serpent's Tail, 1994 * ''"Vous m'avez fait former des fantômes"'', Gallimard, Paris, 1987 * ''Les Gangsters'', Minuit, Paris, 1988 ** ''The Gangsters'', translated by Iain White, Serpent's Tail, 1991 * ''Mauve le Vierge : nouvelles'', Gallimard, Paris, 1988 ** ''Mauve the Virgin'', translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman in ''Written in Invisible Ink: Selected Stories'', Semiotext(e), 2020 * ''L'Image de soi ou l'Injonction de son beau moment ?'' * ''Fou de Vincent'', Minuit, Paris, 1989 ** ''Crazy for Vincent'', translated by

, Semiotext(e), 2017 * ''L'Incognito: roman'', Gallimard, Paris, 1989 ** ''Incognito'', translated by Patricia Roseberry, Broadwater House, 1999 * '' À l'ami qui ne m'a pas sauvé la vie'', Gallimard, Paris, 1990 ** ''To the Friend Who Did Not Save My Life'', translated by Linda Coverdale, Serpent's Tail, 1993; Semiotext(e), 2020 * ''Le Protocole compassionnel'', Gallimard, Paris, 1991 ** ''The Compassion Protocol'', translated by

, Braziller, 1994 * ''La Mort propagande : et autres textes de jeunesse'', R. Deforges, Paris, 1991 * ''Mon valet et moi : roman cocasse'',

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'' (th ...

, Paris, 1991 ** ''My Manservant and Me: Madcap Novel'', translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman, Nightboat, 2022 * ''Vice, photographies de l'auteur'', J. Bertoin, Paris, 1991 ** ''Vice'', translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman in ''Written in Invisible Ink: Selected Stories'', Semiotext(e), 2020 * ''L'Homme au chapeau rouge'', Gallimard, Paris, 1992 ** ''The Man in the Red Hat'', translated by James Kirkup, Quartet, 1995 * ''Cytomégalovirus, journal d'hospitalisation'',

, Paris, 1992 ** ''Cytomegalovirus: A Hospitalization Diary'', translated by Clara Orban, University Press of America, 1996; Fordham University Press, 2015 * ''Le Paradis'', Gallimard, Paris, 1992 ** ''Paradise'', translated by James Kirkup, Quartet, 1996 * ''Photographies'', Gallimard, Paris, 1993 * ''Vole mon dragon : théâtre'', Gallimard, « Le manteau d'Arlequin », Paris, 1994 * ''La piqûre d'amour : et autres textes ; suivi de La chair fraîche'', Gallimard, Paris, 1994 ** ''The Sting of Love'', translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman in ''Written in Invisible Ink: Selected Stories'', Semiotext(e), 2020 * ''Enquête autour d'un portrait : sur

Balthus Balthasar Klossowski de Rola (February 29, 1908 – February 18, 2001), known as Balthus, was a Polish-French modern artist. He is known for his erotically charged images of pubescent girls, but also for the refined, dreamlike quality of his ima ...

'', preface by Éric de Chassey, Les Autodidactes, Paris, 1997 * ''Lettres d'Égypte : du Caire à Assouan, 19..'', photographies de Hans Georg Berger,

Actes Sud Actes Sud is a French publishing house based in Arles. It was founded in 1978 by author Hubert Nyssen. By 2013, the company, then headed by Nyssen's daughter, Françoise Nyssen, had an annual turnover of 60 million euros and 60 staff members. ...

, « Voir et dire », Arles, 1995 * ''La photo, inéluctablement : recueil d'articles sur la photographie, 1977–1985'', Gallimard, Paris, 1999 * ''Le Mausolée des amants : journal, 1976–1991'', Gallimard, Paris, 2001 ** ''The Mausoleum of Lovers'', translated by Nathanaël, Nightboat, 2014 * ''Articles intrépides. 1977–1985'', Gallimard, Paris, 2008 *''Herve Guibert: Voices of the Self'', Liverpool University Press 1999 *''Written in Invisible Ink: Selected Stories'',

, 2020 *''Letters to Eugène: Correspondence 1977–1987'',

, 2022

References

External links

herveguibert.net
a website in French devoted to Guibert * {{DEFAULTSORT:Guibert, Herve 1955 births 1991 deaths People from Saint-Cloud 20th-century French journalists French LGBTQ journalists 20th-century French writers 20th-century French diarists French gay writers AIDS-related deaths in France Suicides by poison Prix Fénéon winners 20th-century French male writers French male non-fiction writers 20th-century French LGBTQ people

Early life and career

Publications

References

Further reading

External links