Pierre Lemaitre (born 19 April 1951) is a Prix Goncourt-winning French author and a screenwriter, internationally renowned for the crime novels featuring the fictional character Commandant Camille Verhœven.
Pierre Lemaitre | |
---|---|
Born | Paris, France | 19 April 1951
Occupation | Author, screenplay writer |
Nationality | French |
Period | 2006–present |
Genre | Fiction, thriller, mystery, History |
Notable works |
His first novel to be translated into English, Alex,[1] is a translation of the French book of the same title,[2] it jointly won the CWA International Dagger for best translated crime novel of 2013.[1][3]
In November 2013, he was awarded the Prix Goncourt, France's top literary prize, for Au revoir là-haut (published in English as The Great Swindle), an epic about World War I.[4] His novels Camille and The Great Swindle won the CWA International Dagger in 2015 and 2016 respectively.[5][6]
Personal life
editPierre Lemaitre worked as a teacher in literature and now devotes his time writing novels and screenplays.[7]
Bibliography
editNovels
editCamille Verhœven series:
- Irène (Travail soigné) (2006), English translation by Frank Wynne, 2014
- Alex (2011), English translation by Frank Wynne, 2013
- Les Grands Moyens (2011), reissued in 2013 as Rosy & John
- Camille (Sacrifices) (2012), English translation by Frank Wynne, 2015
Les Enfants du désastre trilogy:
- The Great Swindle (Au revoir là-haut) (2013), English translation by Frank Wynne, 2015
- All Human Wisdom (Couleurs de l'incendie) (2018), English translation 2021
- Mirror of our Sorrows (Miroir de nos peines) (2020), English translation 2022
Les Années Glorieuses, tetralogy:
- The Wide World (Le Grand Monde) (February 2022) English translation July 2023[8]
- Le Silence et la Colère (January 2023)
Stand-alones:
- Blood Wedding (Robe de marié) (2009), English translation by Frank Wynne, 2016
- Inhuman Resources (Cadres noirs) (2010), English translation: by Sam Gordon, 2018
- Three Days and a Life (Trois jours et une vie) (2016), English translation by Frank Wynne, 2017
- The Great Serpent (Le Serpent majuscule) (2021), English translation: 2023
Short stories
edit- "Une initiative" (2014)
- "Les Événements de Péronne" (2018)
Comics
editLes Enfants du désastre series:
- Au revoir là-haut (2016), with Christian De Metter
Camille Verhœven series (with Pascal Bertho, illustrated by Yannick Corboz):
- Irene (2019), based on novel Irene
- Rosie (2018), based on novel Rosy & John
Non-fiction
edit- Savoir apprendre (1986), with François Maquere, guide
- Dictionnaire amoureux du polar (2020), literature
Awards and honours
edit- Travail soigné
- 2006 Prix du premier roman du festival de Cognac, Travail soigné
- 2009 Prix des lectrices Confidentielles, Travail soigné
- 2009 Prix Sang d'encre et Prix des lecteurs Goutte de Sang d'encre, Vienne, Travail soigné
- 2009 Prix du polar francophone de Montigny les Cormeilles, Travail soigné
- Cadres noirs
- 2010 Prix Le Point du polar européen, Cadres noirs
- Alex
- 2012 Prix des lecteurs policier du Livre de poche, Alex
- 2013 CWA International Dagger, Alex[3] (translated by Frank Wynne)
- Au revoir là-haut
- 2013 Prix des libraires de Nancy Le Point, Au revoir là-haut
- 2013 Roman français préféré des libraires à la Rentrée, Au revoir là-haut
- 2013 Prix Goncourt, Au revoir là-haut[4]
- 2016 CWA International Dagger, The Great Swindle (translated by Frank Wynne)[6]
- Camille
- 2015 CWA International Dagger, Camille (translated by Frank Wynne)
Adaptations
edit- See You Up There (2017), film directed by Albert Dupontel, based on novel The Great Swindle
- Three Days and a Life (2019), film directed by Nicolas Boukhrief, based on novel Three Days and a Life
- Inhuman Resources (2020), miniseries directed by Ziad Doueiri, based on novel Inhuman Resources
- Couleurs de l'incendie (2022), film adapted from his eponymous 2018 novel (English title: All Human Wisdom), directed by Clovis Cornillac
References
edit- ^ a b Lemaître, Pierre. Alex, translated by Frank Wynne. London: MacLehose, 2013. ISBN 9780857051875 WorldCat
- ^ Lemaitre, Pierre. Alex. Paris: Librairie Générale Française, 2012. WorldCat
- ^ a b "CWA International Dagger shared". Crime Writers' Association. 15 July 2013. Archived from the original on 17 August 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
- ^ a b "France's top literary prize goes to Pierre Lemaitre". France24. 4 November 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- ^ International 2015 Winners Archive, thecwa.co.uk
- ^ a b "The Great Swindle — The Crime Writers' Association". thecwa.co.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
- ^ "MacLehose Press | Alex | MacLehose Press". Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
- ^ "The Wide World". Headline Store. Retrieved 28 April 2023.