Philippe Sollers (; born Philippe Joyaux; 28 November 1936) is a French writer and critic. In 1960 he founded the ''avant garde'' literary journal ''

Tel Quel ''Tel Quel'' (translated into English as, variously: "as is," "as such," or "unchanged") was a French avant-garde literary magazine published between 1960 and 1982. History and profile ''Tel Quel'' was founded in 1960 in Paris by Philippe Soll ...

'' (along with writer and art critic Marcelin Pleynet), which was published by Le Seuil and ran until 1982. Sollers then created the journal '' L'Infini'', published first by Denoel, then by Gallimard with Sollers remaining as sole editor. Sollers was at the heart of the period of intellectual fervour in the Paris of the 1960s and 1970s. He contributed to the publication of critics and thinkers such

Jacques Derrida Jacques Derrida (; ; born Jackie Élie Derrida; See also . 15 July 1930 – 9 October 2004) was an Algerian-born French philosopher. He developed the philosophy of deconstruction, which he utilized in numerous texts, and which was developed th ...

Jacques Lacan Jacques Marie Émile Lacan (, , ; 13 April 1901 – 9 September 1981) was a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist. Described as "the most controversial psycho-analyst since Freud", Lacan gave yearly seminars in Paris from 1953 to 1981, and pu ...

Louis Althusser Louis Pierre Althusser (, ; ; 16 October 1918 – 22 October 1990) was a French Marxist philosopher. He was born in Algeria and studied at the École normale supérieure in Paris, where he eventually became Professor of Philosophy. Althusser ...

, and

Roland Barthes Roland Gérard Barthes (; ; 12 November 1915 – 26 March 1980) was a French literary theorist, essayist, philosopher, critic, and semiotician. His work engaged in the analysis of a variety of sign systems, mainly derived from Western popular ...

. Some of them were later described in his novel '' Femmes'' (1983), alongside other figures of French intellectualism active before and after May 1968. His writings and approach to language were examined and praised by French critic

in his book '' Writer Sollers''. In 1990, following a televised disagreement between Canadian novelist Denise Bombardier and the French writer Gabriel Matzneff over Matzneff's "recently published memoir, about his sexual conquests of very young women", a few days later, on the TV channel France 3, Sollers referred to Bombardier as "a bitch". Sollers married

Julia Kristeva Julia Kristeva (; born Yuliya Stoyanova Krasteva, bg, Юлия Стоянова Кръстева; on 24 June 1941) is a Bulgarian-French philosopher, literary critic, semiotician, psychoanalyst, feminist, and, most recently, novelist, who h ...

in 1967.

Biography

Sollers was born as Philippe Joyaux In Talence, France, where his family ran the ''Société Joyaux Frères'', the iron factory ''Recalt'' producing material for kitchens, metal constructions and machines for the aircraft manufacturer

SNCASO SNCASO (abbreviated from ''Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du Sud-Ouest'', or commonly, ''Sud-Ouest'') was a French aircraft manufacturer. Created during 1936 as one of seven nationalised aeronautical manufacturing companies, ...

under the

German military administration in occupied France during World War II The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

. His parents were Octave Joyaux and Marcelle Molinié. He moved to Paris in 1955, studied at the

Lycée privé Sainte-Geneviève The Lycée Sainte-Geneviève is a private '' lycée'', located in Versailles and providing preparatory classes for ''grandes écoles''. It was founded by the Jesuits in Paris in April 1854. It is often nicknamed ''Ginette'' and sometimes ''BJ' ...

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

and at the

ESSEC Business School The École Supérieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (more commonly ESSEC Business School or ESSEC) is a major French business and management school, with non-profit association status (French association law of 1901) founded in 190 ...

Work

Following his first novel, ''A Strange Solitude'' (1958), hailed by

François Mauriac François Charles Mauriac (, oc, Francés Carles Mauriac; 11 October 1885 – 1 September 1970) was a French novelist, dramatist, critic, poet, and journalist, a member of the'' Académie française'' (from 1933), and laureate of the Nobel Prize ...

and

Louis Aragon Louis Aragon (, , 3 October 1897 – 24 December 1982) was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of the surrealist movement in France. He co-founded with André Breton and Philippe Soupault the surrealist review '' Littérature''. He ...

, Sollers began, with ''The Park'' (1961) the experiments in narrative form that would lead to ''Event'' (''Drame'', 1965) and ''Nombres'' (1968).

analyzed these novels in his book ''Dissemination''. Sollers then attempted to counter the high seriousness of ''Nombres'' in ''Lois'' (1972), which featured greater stylistic interest through the use of wordplay and a less formal style. The direction taken by ''Lois'' was developed through the heightened rhythmic intensity of non-punctuated texts such as ''Paradis'' (1981). Philippe Sollers à Bordeaux dans le parc de la propriété familiale en 1937 avec sa mère et sa soeur Annie

Philippe Sollers à Bordeaux dans le parc de la propriété familiale en 1937 avec sa mère et sa soeur Annie

Sollers's other novels include ''Women'' (1983), ''Portrait du joueur'' (1984), ''Le coeur absolu'' (1986), ''Watteau in Venice'' (1991), ''Studio'' (1997), ''Passion fixe'' (2000), ''L'étoile des amants'' (2002), which have introduced a degree of realism to his fiction, in that they make more explicit use of plot, character and thematic development. They offer the reader a fictional study of the society in which he or she lives by reinterpreting, among other things, the roles of politics, media, sex, religion, and the arts.

Bibliography

Essays

* ''Agent secret'', Mercure de France, 2021 * "Complots" – Gallimard, 2016 * "Portraits de femmes" – Flammarion, 2013 * "Fugues" – Gallimard, 2012 * "Discours Parfait" – Gallimard, 2010 * "Vers le Paradis" – Desclée de Brouwer, 2010 (with DVD) * "Guerres secrètes" – Carnets nord 2007 * "Fleurs" – Hermann éditions 2006 *''Dictionnaire amoureux de Venise'', 2004 * "Mystérieux

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

" – Plon 2001 ** "Mysterious Mozart" – University of Illinois Press, 2010 * "Éloge de l'Infini" – Gallimard, 2001 * "

Francis Ponge Francis Jean Gaston Alfred Ponge (; 27 March 1899 – 6 August 1988) was a French essayist and poet. Influenced by surrealism, he developed a form of prose poem, minutely examining everyday objects. He was the third recipient of the Neustadt Inte ...

" – Seghers éditions, 2001 * " Francesca Woodman" – Scalo Publishers 1998 * "

Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (, ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, (''Story of My Life''), is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of information about the c ...

l'admirable" – Plon 1998 ** "Casanova the Irresistible" – University of Illinois Press, 2016 * "La Guerre du Goût" – Gallimard, 1994 ** "Liberté du XVIIIème" (Extract from ''La Guerre du Goût'') – Gallimard, 2002 * "

Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

, le héros" – Le cercle d'art 1996 * "Les passions de

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...

" – Gallimard 1996 * "Sade contre l'Être suprême" – Gallimard 1996 * "Improvisations" – Gallimard, 1991 * " De Kooning, vite" – La différence 1988 * "Théorie des Exceptions" – Gallimard, 1985 * "Sur le Matérialisme" – Seuil, 1974 * "L'Écriture et l'Expérience des Limites" – Seuil, 1968 ** ''Writing and the Experience of Limits'' – Columbia University Press, 1982 * "Logiques" – Seuil, 1968 * "L'Intermédiaire" – Seuil, 1963 * ''Le Défi'' – c.1958 (awarded Fénéon Prize, 1958)

Novels

*''Légende'' - Gallimard, 2021 *''Désir'' - Gallimard, 2020 *''Le Nouveau'' - Gallimard, 2019 *''Centre'' – Gallimard, 2018 * ''Beauté'' – Gallimard, 2017 * '' Mouvement'' – Gallimard, 2016 * '' L'École du Mystère'' – Gallimard, 2015 * '' Médium'' – Gallimard, 2014 * '' L'Éclaircie'' – Gallimard, 2012 * '' Trésor d'Amour'' – Gallimard, 2011 * '' Les Voyageurs du temps'' – Gallimard, 2009 * '' Un vrai roman, Mémoires'' – Plon 2007 * '' Une Vie Divine'' – Gallimard, 2006 * '' L'Étoile des Amants'' – Gallimard, 2002 * '' Passion Fixe'' – Gallimard, 2000 * '' Un amour américain'' – Mille et une nuits, 1999 * ''

Studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial ...

'' – Gallimard, 1997 * ''Le cavalier du Louvre'', Vivant Denon – Plon 1995 * '' Le Secret'' – Gallimard, 1993 * '' La Fête à Venise'' – Gallimard, 1991 **'' Watteau in Venice'' -Scribner's, 1994 * '' Le Lys d'Or'' – Gallimard, 1989 * '' Les Folies Françaises'' – Gallimard, 1988 * '' Le Cœur Absolu'' – Gallimard, 1987 * '' Paradis 2'' – Gallimard, 1986 * '' Portrait du Joueur'' – Gallimard, 1984 * '' Femmes'' – Gallimard, 1983 **''Women'' – Columbia UP, 1990 * '' Paradis'' – Seuil, 1981 * '' H'' – Seuil, 1973 * '' Lois'' – Seuil, 1972 * '' Nombres'' – Seuil, 1966 * '' Drame'' – Seuil, 1965 **''Event'' – Red Dust, 1987 * '' Le Parc'' – Seuil, 1961 ** ''The Park'' – Red Dust, 1986 * '' Une Curieuse Solitude'' – Seuil, 1958 **''A Strange Solitude'' – Grove Press, 1959

Interviews

*''Contre-attaque'' – Grasset, 2016 *''L'Évangile de Nietzsche'' – Cherche Midi, 2006 * ''Poker'' (interviews with '' Ligne de risque'')- Gallimard, 2005 * ''Voir écrire'' (with

Christian de Portzamparc Christian de Portzamparc (; born 5 May 1944) is a French architect and urbanist. He graduated from the École Nationale des Beaux Arts in Paris in 1970 and has since been noted for his bold designs and artistic touch; his projects reflect ...

) – Calmann-Levy, 2003 *''La Divine Comédie'' – Desclée de Brouwer, 2000 *''Le Rire de Rome'' – Gallimard, 1992 *''Vision à New York'' – Grasset, 1981 *''Entretiens avec

'' – Seuil, 1970

Translations in English

* ''Casanova the Irresistible'' – University of Illinois Press, 2016 * '' H'' – Equus Press, 2015 * ''Mysterious Mozart'' – University of Illinois Press, 2010 *''Writing and Seeing Architecture'' (with

) – University Of Minnesota Press, 2008 * '' Watteau in Venice'' – Scribner's, 1994 * ''

Women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardle ...

'' – Columbia University Press, 1990 * ''Event'' – Red Dust, 1987 * ''The Park'' – Red Dust, 1986 * ''Writing and the Experience of Limits'' – Columbia University Press, 1983 * ''A Strange Solitude'' – Grove Press, 1959

Influences and tributes

* Sollers appears as a character in

Philip Roth Philip Milton Roth (March 19, 1933 – May 22, 2018) was an American novelist and short story writer. Roth's fiction—often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey—is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophical ...

's '' Operation Shylock'' (1993),

Michel Houellebecq Michel Houellebecq (; born Michel Thomas, 26 February 1956 or 1958) is a French author, known for his novels, poems and essays, as well as an occasional actor, filmmaker and singer. His first book was a biographical essay on the horror writer ...

's novel '' Atomised'' (1998) and several novels by Marc-Édouard Nabe, including ''L'Homme qui arrêta d'écrire'' (2010). * His writings inspired the eponymous Japanese rock band Sollers. * A character based on Sollers features in Laurent Binet's 2015 novel ''La Septième Fonction du langage'' (Grasset), translated into English as ''The Seventh Function of Language'' (2017)''.''

Notes

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sollers, Philippe 1936 births Living people People from Talence ESSEC Business School alumni French editors French literary critics 20th-century French novelists 21st-century French novelists French literary theorists French Roman Catholic writers 20th-century French philosophers 21st-century French philosophers Postmodern theory Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Prix Médicis winners French male essayists French male novelists 20th-century French essayists 21st-century French essayists Prix Fénéon winners 20th-century French male writers 21st-century French male writers French magazine founders