Patrick Modiano

Patrick Modiano is a French language novelist born 30 July 1945 in Boulogne-Billancourt of a father of Jewish Italian origins and a Belgian mother, Louisa Colpijn (actress). He is a winner of the Grand prix du roman de l'Académie française in 1972 and the Prix Goncourt in 1978 for his novel Rue des boutiques obscures.

A number of his novels have been adapted for film [1], Lacombe Lucien by Louis Malle probably being the most famous.

[edit] Biography

Modiano's parents met in occupied Paris during World War II and began their relationship in semi-clandestinity. Modiano's childhood took place in a unique atmosphere: between the absence of his father -- of which he heard many troubled stories -- and his mother's frequent tours, he had to complete his secondary education by government aid. This brought him closer to his brother, Rudy, who died of a disease at age 10 (the works of Patrick Modiano from 1967 to 1982 are dedicated to him). This disappearance announced the end of the author's childhood, who continued to hold a marked nostalgia for this period.

Modiano studied at the École du Montcel primary school in Jouy-en-Josas, at the Collège Saint-Joseph de Thônes in Haute-Savoie, and then at the Lycée Henri-IV high school in Paris. While he was at Henri-IV, he took geometry lessons from writer Raymond Queneau, who was a friend of Modiano's mother. He received his baccalaureate at Annecy but didn't proceed with his higher education.

His meeting with Queneau, the author of Zazie dans le métro, is crucial. Modiano was introduced to the literary world by Queneau, and this gave him the opportunity to attend a cocktail party given by publishing house Éditions Gallimard. He published his first novel, La Place de l’Étoile, with them in 1968, after having read the manuscript to Raymond Queneau. Starting that year, he did nothing but write.

On September 12, 1970, Modiano married Dominique Zerhfuss. "I have a catastrophic souvenir of the day of our marriage. It rained. A real nightmare. Our groomsmen were Queneau, who had mentored Patrick since his adolescence, and Malraux, a friend of my father. They started to argue about Dubuffet, and it was like we were watching a tennis match! That said, it would have been funny to have some photos, but the only person who had a camera forgot to bring the film. There is only one photo remaining of us, from behind and under an umbrella!" (Interview with Elle, 6 October 2003). From their marriage came two girls, Zina (1974) and Marie (1978).

[edit] Bibliography

La Place de l'Étoile (1968)
La Ronde de nuit (1969); English translation: Night Rounds (1971, Alfred A. Knopf)
Les Boulevards de ceinture (1972) (Grand prix du roman de l'Académie française); English translation: Ring Roads (1974, Gollancz)
Villa triste (1975)
Livret de famille (1977)
Rue des boutiques obscures (1978) (Prix Goncourt); English translation: Missing Person (2004, Verba Mundi Books)
Une Jeunesse (1981)
Memory Lane (1981)
De si braves garçons (1982)
Quartier Perdu (1984); English translation: A Trace of Malice (1988)
Dimanches d'août (1986)
Catherine Certitude (1988) (illustrated by Sempé); English translation: Catherine Certitude (2000, David R. Godine, Publisher)
Remise de Peine (1988)
Vestiaire de l'enfance (1989)
Voyage de noces (1990); English translation: Honeymoon (1995, David R. Godine)
Fleurs de Ruine (1991)
Un Cirque passe (1992)
Chien de printemps (1993)
Du plus loin de l'oubli; English translation: Out of the Dark (1998, Bison Books)
Dora Bruder (1997); English translation: Dora Bruder (1999, University of California Press)
Des inconnues (1999)
La Petite Bijou (2001)
Accident nocturne (2003)
Un pedigree (2004)
Dans le café de la jeunesse perdue (2007)