Bernard Werber (born 1961 in

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

) is a French

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...

writer, active since the 1990s. He is chiefly recognized for having written the

trilogy A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games, and are less common in other art forms. Three-part wor ...

'' Les Fourmis'', the only one of his novels to have been published in English. This series weaves together philosophy, spirituality, science fiction, thriller, science, mythology and consciousness.

Writing style

Paris - Salon du livre 2012 - Bernard Werber - 002

Werber's

writing style In literature, writing style is the manner of expressing thought in language characteristic of an individual, period, school, or nation. As Bryan Ray notes, however, style is a broader concern, one that can describe "readers' relationships with, t ...

mixes literary

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other f ...

s, including

saga is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, from the Super NES to the Play ...

and

philosophical Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some s ...

ideas. Most of his novels have the same format, alternating between prose and

encyclopedic An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...

passages that expand upon the ideas in the former. Many of Werber's novels are also connected by common characters, story threads and themes. For example, the character Edmond Wells appears both in the trilogy '' Les Fourmis'' (''The Ants''), the novel '' L'Empire des anges'' (''The Empire of the Angels''), and the novel ''Nous Les Dieux'' (''We are Gods'').

Literary themes

Werber's books

anthropomorphize Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

animals including

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the br ...

rat Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' (pack rats), ''Bandicota'' ( bandicoot ...

s and

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,0 ...

s. He also uses characters

symbol A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different con ...

ically to reflect "the stage of the evolution of the soul". In addition, he defends the vision of a

collectivist Collectivism may refer to: * Bureaucratic collectivism, a theory of class society whichto describe the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin * Collectivist anarchism, a socialist doctrine in which the workers own and manage the production * Collectiv ...

global government that acts as the "world police" and that imposes strict

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

. Werber is a member of the Institute for Research on Extraordinary Experiences (IREE), an association that promotes the acknowledgement of extraordinary or unusual experiences. This is reflected in his novels that incorporate

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

, the

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Nota ...

and spirituality as prominent

theme Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (arts), the unifying subject or idea of the type of visual work * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical ...

s including '' Thanatonautes'' (''The Thanatonauts''), which proposes a

spiritualist Spiritualism is the metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century, Spiritualism (when not lowercase) b ...

version of

near death experiences A near-death experience (NDE) is a profound personal experience associated with death or impending death which researchers claim share similar characteristics. When positive, such experiences may encompass a variety of sensations including detac ...

and

afterlife The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving e ...

; '' L'Empire des Anges'' (''The Empire of the Angels'') and ''Le Mystère des Dieux'' (''The Mystery of the Gods''), which describe a connection between

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

s and

god In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

s; and '' Nos amis les Terriens'' (''Our Earthmen Friends''), which describes

alien abduction Alien abduction (also called abduction phenomenon, alien abduction syndrome, or UFO abduction) refers to the phenomenon of people reporting their experience of being kidnapped by extraterrestrial beings and subjected to physical and psychologic ...

Works

The Ants trilogy (''Les Fourmis'' trilogy)

*'' Les Fourmis'', Prix des lecteurs de Science et Avenir, 1991, . (lit. ''The Ants'', translated into English as ''Empire of the Ants''). *'' Le Jour des fourmis'', 1992, (lit. ''The Day of the Ants'') *''La Révolution des fourmis'', 1996, (lit. ''The Revolution of the Ants'')

The "Angels" cycle

*'' Les Thanatonautes'', 1994, (lit. ''The Thanatonauts'') *'' L'Empire des Anges'', 2000, (lit. ''The Empire of the Angels'')

The "Gods" cycle (follow-up of the cycle of "Angels")

*'' Nous, les Dieux'', 2004, (lit. ''We, the Gods'') *'' Le Souffle des Dieux'', 2005, (lit. ''The Breath of the Gods'') *'' Le Mystère des Dieux'' 2007, (lit. ''The Mystery of the Gods'')

The "Explorers of science" cycle

*'' Le père de nos pères'', 1998, (lit. ''The Father of our Fathers'') *'' L'ultime secret'', 2001, (lit. ''The Ultimate Secret'') *'' Le rire du Cyclope'', 2010, (lit. ''The Laughter of the Cyclops'')

''Third Humanity'' cycle

*'' Troisième Humanité'', 2012, (lit. ''Third Humanity'') *'' Les micro-humains'', 2013, (lit. ''The micro-humans'') *'' La Voix de la Terre'', 2014, (lit. ''The Voice of the Earth'')

Other novels

*'' Le papillon des étoiles'', 2006, (lit. ''The Butterfly of the Stars'') *'' Le miroir de Cassandre'', 2009, (lit. ''The Mirror of Cassandra'') *'' Demain les chats'', 2016 (lit. ''Tomorrow the cats'') *'' Depuis l'au-delà'', 2017 (lit. ''From Beyond'') *'' La Boîte de Pandore'', 2018 (lit. ''Pandora's Box'')

Experimental books

*'' L'Encyclopédie du savoir relatif et absolu'', 1993, (lit. ''The Encyclopedia of Relative and Absolute Knowledge'') *'' Le Livre du Voyage'', 1997, (lit. ''The Book of Travel'') *'' Le Livre secret des Fourmis'', 2002 (lit. ''The Secret Book of the Ants'') *'' Nos amis, les humains'', 2003 (lit. ''Our Friends, the Humans'') *'' Nouvelle Encyclopédie du savoir relatif et absolu'', 2009 (lit. ''New Encyclopedia of Relative and Absolute Knowledge'') *'' Voyage au cœur du vivant'', 2011 (lit. ''Journey within the Living'')

Short-story Collections

*'' L'Arbre des possibles'', 2002, (lit. ''The Tree of Possibles'') *'' Paradis sur mesure'', 2008, (lit. ''Custom Paradise(s)'')

Comics

Exit

''Amandine'' is a journalist, working for a videogame magazine. One day, she gets fired, finds her boyfriend with another woman, and contemplates

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and sub ...

. She finds a mysterious website, advocating an underground group named ''Exit'', which advocates a kind of murder game: By killing someone who wishes to die, another member will try to kill you. ''Individual issues'' # Bernard Werber (text) et Alain Mounier (art), ''Exit'' ome 1

éditions Albin Michel Éditions Albin Michel is a French publisher. In January 2022, the new director is Anna Pavlowitch, the daughter of Paul Pavlowitch. History It was founded in 1900 by Albin Michel. They published, first, Romain Rolland, Henri Barbusse, Roland D ...

, Paris, 1999, , , . — renamed ''Contact'' in collections published since 2003. # Bernard Werber (text) and Alain Mounier (art), ''Le Deuxième Cercle'' (lit. ''the second circle'') ome 2 éditions Albin Michel, Paris, 2000, , , . # Bernard Werber (text) and Éric Puech (art), ''Jusqu'au dernier souffle'' (lit. ''until the last breath'') ome 3 éditions Albin Michel, Paris, 2000, , , . ''Collections'' * Bernard Werber (text), Alain Mounier et Éric Puech (art), ''Exit'' o mention of colouristscolourized by Walter Pezzali and Sophie Dumas, pour les couleurs), éditions Albin Michel, o series name Paris, 2003, , , . * Bernard Werber (text), Alain Mounier et Éric Puech (art), ''Exit'' (with Walter Pezzali an Sophie Dumas, colourists), éditions Albin Michel, coll. « Les Intégrales », Paris, 2008, , , .

Other works

*'' Les Enfants d'Ève'', May 2005 (lit. ''The Children of Eve'')

Films

* La Reine de nacre (short, 15'), 2001 (lit. ''The Mother-of-pearl Queen'') * Les Humains (short, 9'), 2003 (lit. ''The Humans'') * Nos amis les Terriens (full length), produced by

Claude Lelouch Claude Barruck Joseph Lelouch (; born 30 October 1937) is a French film director, writer, cinematographer, actor and producer. Lelouch grew up in an Algerian Jewish Family. He emerged as a prominent director in the 1960s. Lelouch gained critic ...

, 2007 (lit. ''Our Friends, the Earthlings'')

Theatre

*'' Nos amis, les humains'', 2003, , produced in 2004 by Jean-Christophe Barc with

Audrey Dana Audrey Dana (born 21 September 1977) is a French actress and film director. Life and career Dana studied drama in Orléans and Paris. After two years in New York City, she went back to France where she acted in various plays, including '' Nos am ...

and Jean-Christophe Barc *'' Bienvenue au paradis'', 2011,produced in 2011 by Jean-Christophe Barc with Thierry Liagre

Lectures

* 2013-11-17, at

Kyung Hee University Kyung Hee University (abbreviated to KHU) (Hangul: 경희대학교; Hanja: 慶熙大學校) is a private research university in South Korea with campuses in Seoul and Suwon. Founded in 1949, it is widely regarded as one of the best universities i ...

in Seoul, Korea. "Different perspective to look at human"

References

External links

* *
Werber's official website
*
''Encyclopédie du savoir relatif et absolu'' online
*
His page as a member of the assistance committee of the INREES
{{DEFAULTSORT:Werber, Bernard 1961 births 20th-century French novelists French agnostics French science fiction writers Living people Writers from Toulouse Science fiction fans French male novelists French male journalists 20th-century French male writers École supérieure de journalisme de Paris alumni 21st-century French novelists 21st-century French male writers