Alexis Jenni (born 1963) is a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

novelist and

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

teacher. His

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

, '' The French Art of War'', won the 2011

Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt ( , "The Goncourt Prize") is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward of only 10 euros, but resul ...

, France's most prestigious

literary award A literary award or literary prize is an award presented in recognition of a particularly lauded Literature, literary piece or body of work. It is normally presented to an author. Organizations Most literary awards come with a corresponding award c ...

Biography

Jenni was born in 1963 in

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, France. A father of three, he has a degree in biology, and is a professor in the

life sciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, ...

at the Lycée Saint-Marc in Lyon.

Works

''The French Art of War''

His debut novel, ''L'Art français de la guerre'' ('' The French Art of War'') was published on 18 August 2011, and was awarded the Prix Goncourt on 2 November 2011. In reaction to the award, Jenni said "I didn't even think I would be published, so the Goncourt wasn't even worth thinking about." The novel deals with France's colonial history in

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

and

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, and was partly inspired by the debate on French identity that developed under the government of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...

. Rather than expressing his personal opinion on the debate, Jenni wanted to make his readers think about it themselves. As well as winning the Prix Goncourt, the novel was shortlisted for the

Prix Médicis The Prix Médicis () is a French literary award given each year in November. It was founded in 1958 by and .

and the

Prix Femina The Prix Femina is a French List of literary awards, literary prize awarded each year by an exclusively female jury. The prize, which was established in 1904, is awarded to French-language works written in prose or Verse (poetry), verse by male ...

. ''L'Art français de la guerre'' was technically Jenni's third novel, but was the first to be published. He had previously written a novel which he never submitted to a publisher, and another which was not accepted. According to Jenni, ''L'Art français de la guerre'' took five years to write. He stated that he was a "Sunday writer, just as there are Sunday painters."

''Le Passeport de monsieur Nansen''

This book about

Fridtjof Nansen Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (; 10 October 1861 – 13 May 1930) was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He gained prominence at various points in his life as an explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and co-founded the ...

was published in 2022.

References

External links

Alexis Jenni's blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenni, Alexis 1963 births Living people Writers from Lyon 21st-century French novelists French schoolteachers Prix Goncourt winners French male novelists 21st-century French male writers