Anne Berest (born 15 September 1979) is a French writer and actress.

Biography

In 2008 she adapted Patrick Modiano's short autobiography ''Un Pedigree'' for the theatre with Edouard Baer. , son of

Françoise Sagan Françoise Sagan (; born Françoise Delphine Quoirez; 21 June 1935 – 24 September 2004) was a French playwright, novelist, and screenwriter. Sagan was known for works with strong romantic themes involving wealthy and disillusioned bourgeois ch ...

asked Berest to write about the creation of his mother's novel,

Bonjour Tristesse ''Bonjour Tristesse'' () is a novel by Françoise Sagan. Published in 1954, when the author was only 18, it was an overnight sensation. The title is derived from a poem by Paul Éluard, "À peine défigurée", which begins with the lines "Adieu ...

. The resulting book, ''Sagan 1954'', was well received by critics: Berest "searched for and found les mot justes". In 2017, with her sister Claire Berest, she wrote a biography of her great-grandmother

Gabrièle Buffet-Picabia Gabrièle Buffet-Picabia (often spelled Gabrielle Buffet-Picabia; Buffet; 21 November 1881 – 7 December 1985) was a French art critic and writer affiliated with Dadaism. She was an organiser of the French resistance and the first wife of arti ...

. With ''Gabriële'', the Berest sisters succeeded in bringing attention to their great-grandmother's often overlooked life and influence in the art world, specifically within the

Dada movement Dada () or Dadaism was an anti-establishment art movement that developed in 1915 in the context of the Great War and the earlier anti-art movement. Early centers for dadaism included Zürich and Berlin. Within a few years, the movement had s ...

. Her novel ''La Carte Postale'' (''The Postcard''), was published in 2021 in French and translated into English in 2023 by Tina Kover. The autobiographical novel is entirely based on real events that happened throughout Berest's life. It tells the stories of Anne Berest's relatives' experience during

World War Two World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilisi ...

by piecing together the research that Anne and her mother did to learn more about where they came from. In the novel, Anne becomes determined to figure out who sent her family a mysterious postcard in 2003 with the names of their family members who died in

Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...

written on the back. In 2021 ''La Carte Postale'' made the final selection for the

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 ...

as well as the

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 ...

Books

* ''La Fille de son père'',

éditions du Seuil Éditions du Seuil (), also known as Le Seuil, is a French publishing house established in 1935 by Catholic intellectual Jean Plaquevent (1901–1965), and currently owned by La Martinière Groupe. It owes its name to this goal "The ''seuil'' (thr ...

, 2010, * ''Les Patriarches'',

éditions Grasset Éditions Grasset () is a French publishing house founded in 1907 by (1881–1955). Grasset publishes French and foreign literature, essays, novels and children's books, among others. Bernard Grasset sold ownership of the company to Hachette ...

, 2012 * ''Sagan 1954'',

éditions Stock Stock is a French publisher, a subsidiary of Hachette Livre, which itself is part of the Lagardère Group. It was founded in the 18th century by André Cailleau, who was succeeded in 1753 by Nicolas-Bonaventure Duchesne, who published Voltaire and ...

, 2014, * ''How to be Parisian wherever you are'' (with

Audrey Diwan Audrey Diwan (; born 1980) is a French film director of Lebanese origin. Prior to becoming a film director, she worked as a journalist and a screenwriter. In 2021, her film ''Happening'' won the Golden Lion at the 78th Venice International Fi ...

Caroline de Maigret Caroline de Maigret (, born 18 February 1975) is a French international model and music producer who is a member of the families of de Maigret and Poniatowski. Private life The granddaughter of former minister Michel Poniatowski, Caroline de M ...

and Anne Berest,

Doubleday Doubleday may refer to: * Doubleday (surname), including a list of people with the name Publishing imprints * Doubleday (publisher), imprint of Knopf Doubleday, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House * Doubleday Canada, imprint of Penguin Random ...

, 2014, * ''Recherche femme parfaite'',

, 2015, * ''Gabriële'' (with Claire Berest),

, 2017 * ''La Visite'', suivi de ''Les Filles de nos filles'',

Actes Sud Actes Sud is a French publishing house based in Arles. It was founded in 1978 by author Hubert Nyssen. By 2013, the company, then headed by Nyssen's daughter, Françoise Nyssen, had an annual turnover of 60 million euros and 60 staff members. ...

, 2020, * '' La Carte postale'',

, 2021 ; ** translated into English in 2023 by Tina Kover, '' The Postcard'' *''Gabriële'' (Europa Editions, 2025)

Screenwriter

* Que d'Amour! (Just Love) by

Marivaux Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux (; ; 4 February 1688 – 12 February 1763), commonly referred to as Marivaux, was a French playwright and novelist. Marivaux is considered one of the most important French playwrights of the 18th century, w ...

telefilm A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrestr ...

directed by

Valérie Donzelli Valérie Donzelli (born 2 March 1973) is a French actress, filmmaker and screenwriter. She has directed six feature films and two short films since 2008, including the film ''Declaration of War'' (2011). Early life Valérie Donzelli was born in ...

shown on

Arte Arte (, , ; ' ('), sometimes stylised in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European Union, European public service Television channel, channel dedicated to culture. It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based Europea ...

in 2014 - co-writer * Paris Etc., series directed by

Zabou Breitman Zabou Breitman (born Isabelle Breitman; 30 October 1959), or simply Zabou, is a French actress and director. She is the daughter of actors Jean-Claude Deret and . At the age of four, she appeared in her first movie. Since 1981, Zabou has acted ...

shown on

Canal+ Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

in 2017 - co-writer * Mytho, directed by

Fabrice Gobert Fabrice is a French masculine given name from the Roman name ''Fabricius'', which is itself derived from the Latin ''faber'' meaning blacksmith or craftsman. Notable people with the name include: * Fabrice Balanche (born 1969), French geographer ...

, released on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

in 2019 - co-writer (and co-creator) * '' Valiant Hearts'' (2021), film directed by

Mona Achache Mona Achache (born 18 March 1981) is a French-Moroccan film director, screenwriter, and actress. She wrote and directed the feature films ''The Hedgehog'' (2009), '' Les Gazelles'' (2014), '' Valiant Hearts'' (2021), and '' Little Girl Blue'' ( ...

References

External links

* Living people 21st-century French novelists French screenwriters 1979 births 21st-century French Jews Jewish French actresses Jewish French writers {{France-novelist-stub