Laurence Cossé (born 1950 in
Boulogne-Billancourt
Boulogne-Billancourt (; often colloquially called simply Boulogne, until 1924 Boulogne-sur-Seine, ) is a wealthy and prestigious Communes of France, commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris ...
, France) is a French writer, who published mainly novels.
She was first a journalist in the French newspaper ''
Le Quotidien de Paris
''Le Quotidien de Paris'' (; The Daily of Paris) was a French newspaper founded in 1974 by Philippe Tesson. Along with ' and ', ''Le Quotidien de Paris'' made up the (Daily Press Group) which employed over 550 individuals," Philippe Tesson : « ...
'' and then at the French public radio
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 ...
. Most of her novels were published by the French publishing house
Gallimard. Her most famous novel to date, ''
Le Coin du voile'' (1996), was translated as ''A Corner of the veil'' in American English (as well as in five other languages).
Although she published one poetic novel (''Les Chambres du Sud'') and one historical novel (''La Femme du premier ministre''), most of her latest novels evoke the contemporary French society, often in a critical or ironical manner. She received in 2015 the
"Grand Prix de littérature" of the Académie Française.
Works
* Novels
** ''Les Chambres du Sud'',
Gallimard, 1981
** ''Le Premier pas d'amante'', Gallimard, 1983
** ''18h35 : Grand Bonheur'',
Le Seuil, 1991
** ''Un Frère'', Le Seuil, 1994
** ''Le Coin du voile'', Gallimard, 1996 (received the "Prix du Jury Jean Giono 1996"); American translation by
Linda Asher:
***
** ''La Femme du premier ministre'', Gallimard, 1998
** ''Le Mobilier national'', Gallimard, 2001
** ''Le 31 du mois d'août'', Gallimard, 2003; in English ''Accident in August'' (Europa Editions, 2011)
** ''Au bon roman'', Gallimard, 2009 ; in English, ''A Novel Bookstore'' (Europa Editions, 2010)
** ''Les Amandes amères'', Gallimard, 2011; in English, ''Bitter Almonds'' (Europa Editions, 2013)
** ''La Grande Arche'', Gallimard, 2016
** ''Nuit sur la neige'', Gallimard, 2018
** ''Le secret de Sybil'', Gallimard, 2023
* Short stories
** ''Vous n'écrivez plus ?'', Gallimard, 2006 (received the "Grand Prix de la nouvelle de l'
Académie Française
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
″)
* Theater
** ''La Terre des Folles'', published with ''Monseigneur de Très-Haut'', HB éditions, 1995 (with illustrations by Christine Lesueur)
References
External links
Interview by Andrei Tarkovsky in English
Writers from Boulogne-Billancourt
1950 births
Living people
20th-century French non-fiction writers
21st-century French non-fiction writers
20th-century French women writers
21st-century French women writers
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