Philippe Besson (born 29 January 1967) is a French

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

, playwright and screenwriter. Besson was born in

Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire () is a commune in the Charente department, Southwestern France. The commune was formed in 1973 by the merger of the former communes Barbezieux and Saint-Hilaire.Charente Charente (; Saintongese: ''Chérente''; ) is a department in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It is named after the river Charente, the most important and longest river in the department, and also the r ...

, and has written a total of 23 novels, several of which have been adapted for cinema or theater.

Life

Besson grew up the child of schoolteacher father and a notary clerk mother. Besson was often mocked by his classmates because of his appearance, his clothes and his manners. During his final school year, he fell in love with a peasant's son in his village in Charente, but they were forced to hide their relationship. Besson attended l'École supérieure de commerce de Rouen, now called Neoma Business School. In 1999, Besson, a law graduate, was inspired to write his first novel, ''En l'absence des hommes'', while reading of accounts of ex-servicemen during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The novel won the Prix Emmanuel Roblès. Besson's second novel, ''Son Frère'' was shortlisted for 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 ...

, and adapted for cinema by

Patrice Chéreau Patrice Chéreau (; ; 2 November 1944 – 7 October 2013) was a French opera and theatre director, filmmaker, actor and producer. In France he is best known for his work for the theatre, internationally for his films '' La Reine Margot'' and ''I ...

in 2003. The film was well received and won the

Silver Bear The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

at the

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

. Besson's novel ''Arrête avec tes mensonges'' (published in English under the title '' Lie with Me'') received critical acclaim, became a bestseller in France, and won several awards including the

Prix Maison de la Presse The Prix Maison de la Presse is an annual French literary prize, established in 1970 by the Syndicat national des dépositaires de presse (SNDP) and Gabriel Cantin. Until 2005 it was known as Prix des Maisons de la Presse and given out in the two ...

and ''Prix Psychologies du roman inspirant''. The book was adapted in 2022 into a movie of the same name, which premiered in the

Angoulême Francophone Film Festival The Angoulême Francophone Film Festival (, FFA) is an annual film festival held in Angoulême, France. It was founded by Dominique Besnehard in 2008 and has been held every year in December. It was launched as a showcase for all kind of francophon ...

on August 27, 2022. The novel was also adapted into a play performed in January 2023 at the ''Théâtre de la Tempête'' in Paris.

Major works

*''En l'absence des hommes'',

Éditions Julliard Éditions Julliard is a French publishing house. It was founded in 1942 by René Julliard. Julliard was known as a discoverer and publisher of talents, in particular Françoise Sagan and Jean d'Ormesson. After Julliard's death in July 1962, the ...

, 2001, **'' In the Absence of Men'', translated by

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 ...

, Heinemann 2003, Carroll & Graf, 2003, *''Son frère'', Julliard, 2001, **'' His Brother'', translated by Frank Wynne, Heinemann, 2004, * ''L'arrière saison'', Julliard, 2002, (inspired by

Edward Hopper Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realism painter and printmaker. He is one of America's most renowned artists and known for his skill in depicting modern American life and landscapes. Born in Nyack, New York, to a ...

's painting Nighthawks) * ''Un garçon d'Italie'', Julliard, 2003, (which was shortlisted for both 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 ...

and the Prix Médicis.) * ''Les Jours fragiles'', Julliard, 2004, (focussing on the last days of Rimbaud, it has been optioned by François Dupeyron for the cinema.) * ''Un instant d'abandon: roman'', Julliard, 2005, * ''Se résoudre aux adieux: roman'', Julliard, 2007, **''The Accidental Man'' *''Arrête avec tes mensonges'',

, 2017, **'' Lie with Me'', translated by

Molly Ringwald Molly Kathleen Ringwald (born February 18, 1968) is an American actress, writer, and translator. She began her career as a child actress on the sitcoms ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and '' The Facts of Life'' (both 1979–1980) before being nominated for ...

, Scribner, 2019, * ''Un Personnage de Roman - Macron par Besson'', French and European Publications Inc, 2017,

References

External links

"Review: In the Absence of Men by Philippe Besson"
''Speak its name'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Besson, Philippe 1967 births Living people 21st-century French male writers 21st-century French novelists Bisexual male writers Bisexual novelists French bisexual men French bisexual writers French LGBTQ novelists French male novelists People from Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire Writers from Nouvelle-Aquitaine