Alice Zeniter (born 1986) is a French

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

, translator, scriptwriter,

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwri ...

and director. She has won a

Prix Renaudot The Prix Théophraste-Renaudot or () is a French literary award. History The prize was created in 1926 by ten art critics awaiting the results of deliberation of the jury of the Prix Goncourt. While not officially related to the Prix Goncour ...

young adult award for her third novel, ''Juste avant l'Oubli'', and a Prix Goncourt young adult for her fourth novel, '' L'Art de Perdre''. Zeniter published her first

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

, ''Deux moins un égal zéro'', at the age of 16. Her second novel, ''Jusque dans nos bras'', was published in 2010 and translated into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

as ''Take This Man''. Her novel, '' L'Art de Perdre'', won multiple prizes and awards. It was published in English in 2021 as '' The Art of Losing'', for which she won the

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award (), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. It promotes excellence in world literature and is solely ...

along with its translator

Frank Wynne Frank Wynne (born 1962) is an Irish literary translator and writer. Biography Born in County Sligo in the west of Ireland, Frank Wynne worked as a comics editor at Fleetway and later at comic magazine '' Deadline''. He worked for a time at ...

Early life

Zeniter was born in Clamart, to an Algerian father and a French mother. She was raised in Champfleur and lived there until she was 17. She continued her studies in

Alençon Alençon (, , ; ) is a commune in Normandy, France, and the capital of the Orne department. It is situated between Paris and Rennes (about west of Paris) and a little over north of Le Mans. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alen� ...

. From 2006 until 2011 she was a student at

École Normale Supérieure École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by Secondary education in France, secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing i ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Works

Works in English

*''Take this man'', New York:

Europa Europa may refer to: Places * Europa (Roman province), a province within the Diocese of Thrace * Europa (Seville Metro), Seville, Spain; a station on the Seville Metro * Europa City, Paris, France; a planned development * Europa Cliffs, Alexan ...

, 2012. , *''The Art of Losing'', (translated by

) London:

Picador (imprint) Picador is an imprint (trade name), imprint of Pan Macmillan in the United Kingdom and Australia and of Macmillan Publishers (United States), Macmillan Publishing in the United States. Both companies are owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishin ...

, 2021; New York:

Farrar, Straus and Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer P ...

, 2021 .

Novels

* ''Deux moins un égal zéro'', Nantes, France, Éditions du Petit Véhicule, coll. « Plaine Page », 2003, 112 p. () * ''Jusque dans nos bras'', Paris,

Albin Michel Albin may refer to: Places * Albin, Wyoming, US * Albin Township, Brown County, Minnesota, US * Albin, Virginia, US People * Albin (given name), origin of the name and people with the first name "Albin" * Albin (surname) ;Mononyms * Albin of ...

, 2010, 236 p. () ** Prix littéraire de la Porte Dorée 2010 ** Prix littéraire Laurence Trân 2011 * ''Sombre Dimanche'', Paris, éditions Albin Michel, 2013, 236 p. () ** Prix de la Closerie des Lilas 2013 ** Prix du Livre Inter 2013 ** Prix des lecteurs de l'Express 2013 *''Juste avant l'Oubli'', Editions Flammarion, 2015

** Prix Renaudot des lycéens 2015 *''L'Art de Perdre'',

Éditions Flammarion Groupe Flammarion () is a French publishing group, comprising many units, including its namesake, founded in 1876 by Ernest Flammarion, as well as units in distribution, sales, printing and bookshops ( La Hune and Flammarion Center). Flammarion ...

, 2017. , ** Prix Goncourt des lycéens 2017 ** Prix littéraire du ''Monde'' 2017 ** Prix Landerneau des lecteurs 2017 ** Prix des libraires de Nancy ** Prix Liste Goncourt : le choix polonais, Cracovie, 2017 ** Prix Liste Goncourt : le choix de la Suisse 2017 ** Finaliste Prix Goncourt 2017 *''Comme un empire dans un empire'',

, 2020. ,

Theatre

* ''Spécimens humains avec monstres'', 2011 *''Hansel et Gretel'', Editions Acte Sud
2018

Translation

* ''I love Dick'', Chris Kraus, Editions Flammarion
2016

Filmography

* ''Fever,'
2014

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeniter, Alice Writers from Alençon 1986 births 21st-century French novelists École Normale Supérieure alumni Prix du Livre Inter winners 21st-century French women writers Living people Prix Renaudot des lycéens winners People from Sarthe French people of Algerian descent