Amélie Nothomb

Amélie Nothomb
Born Fabienne-Claire Nothomb.[1]
(1966-07-09) 9 July 1966
Etterbeek, Belgium
Occupation Writer
Nationality Belgian
Notable works Stupeur et tremblements

Baroness Amélie Nothomb (born Fabienne-Claire; 9 July 1966 in Etterbeek, Belgium)[1] is a Belgian writer who writes in French.

Biography

Amélie Nothomb, born Fabienne Claire Nothomb, was born in Etterbeek, Belgium on 9 July 1966, to Belgian diplomats.[2] Although Nothomb claims to have been born in Japan, she actually began living in Japan at the age of two until she was five years old. Subsequently, she lived in China, New York, Bangladesh, Burma, the United Kingdom (Coventry) and Laos.[3] She is from a distinguished Belgian political family: she is the grandniece of Charles-Ferdinand Nothomb, a Belgian foreign minister (1980–1981), and great granddaughter of writer and politician Pierre Nothomb. She has one brother and one sister, Juliette Nothomb.

Nothomb's first novel, Hygiène de l'assassin, was published in 1992. Since then, she has published approximately one novel per year, including Les Catilinaires (1995), Fear and Trembling (1999) and Métaphysique des tubes (2000, published in English as The Character of Rain). She has been awarded numerous prizes, including the 1999 Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française, the Prix René-Fallet, and the 1993 Prix Alain-Fournier.

While in Japan, Nothomb attended a local school and learned Japanese. When she was five, the family moved to China. "Quitter le Japon fut pour moi un arrachement" ("Leaving Japan was a wrenching separation for me"), she wrote in Fear and Trembling. She studied philology at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. After some family tensions and having finished her studies, Nothomb returned to Japan to work in a Japanese company in Tokyo. Her experience of this time, although its authenticity has been critically called to question, is told in Fear and Trembling.[4]

She wrote a romanticized biography (The Book of Proper Names) for the French female singer Robert in 2002 and during the period 2000–2002 she wrote the lyrics for nine tracks of the same artist.

A documentary was directed by Laureline Amanieux about Amélie's return to Japan where she finds the beauty of the landscapes, the peace of the rites of the country, the sadness of Fukushima, but especially, the arms of her Japanese nursemaid, Nishio San.[5]

By Royal Decree of 8 July 2015 Nothomb was ennobled as a non-hereditary baroness.

Bibliography

Published
(in French)		 Type Original title English title English publication details
1992 book Hygiène de l'assassin Hygiene and the Assassin Europa Editions, hardback, 2010 ISBN 978-1-933372-77-8
1993 book Le Sabotage amoureux Loving Sabotage W. W. Norton & Co, hardback, 2000, ISBN 0-8112-1459-1
Faber and Faber, paperback, 2003, ISBN 0-571-22663-9
1993 tale Légende un peu chinoise
(Longue Vue)
1994 play Les Combustibles Human Rites Oberon Books, paperback, 2005, ISBN 1-84002-539-5
1995 book Les Catilinaires The Stranger Next Door Holt (Henry) & Co, hardback, 1996, ISBN 0-8050-4841-3
1996 book Péplum
1996 14 pages short story Électre
(Stock)
1996 short story L'Existence de Dieu
(La Revue Générale)
1997 book Attentat
1998 book Mercure
1999 book Stupeur et tremblements Fear and Trembling Faber and Faber, paperback, 2002, ISBN 0-571-22048-7
1999 39 pages short story Le Mystère par excellence
(Le Grand livre du mois)
2000 book Métaphysique des tubes The Character of Rain Faber and Faber, paperback, 2003, ISBN 0-571-22049-5
2000 3 tales Brillant comme une casserole
(La Pierre d'Alun)
2001 book Cosmétique de l'ennemi The Enemy's Cosmetique
2001 2 pages short story Aspirin
2001 64 pages short story Sans nom
(Elle)
2002 book Robert des noms propres The Book of Proper Names Faber and Faber, paperback, 2004, ISBN 0-571-22344-3
2003 book Antéchrista Antichrista Faber and Faber, paperback, 2004, ISBN 0-571-22483-0
2004 46 pages short story L'Entrée du Christ à Bruxelles
(Elle)
2004 book Biographie de la faim The Life of Hunger Faber and Faber, hardback, 2006
2005 book Acide sulfurique Sulphuric Acid Faber and Faber, hardback, 2007
2006 book Journal d'Hirondelle
2007 book Ni d'Eve, ni d'Adam Tokyo Fiancée Europa Editions, hardback, 2008
2007 short story in 9 episodes Les Champignons de Paris (Charlie Hebdo)
2008 book Le Fait du prince The Prince's Act Éditions Albin Michel
2009 book Le Voyage d'Hiver The Winter Journey Éditions Albin Michel
2010 book Une forme de vie Life Form Europa Editions, hardback, forthcoming
2011 book Tuer le père Éditions Albin Michel
2012 book Barbe bleue Éditions Albin Michel
2013 book La nostalgie heureuse Éditions Albin Michel
2014 book Petronille Éditions Albin Michel

Unless otherwise stated, all works were originally published in French by Éditions Albin Michel.

Audio books

Eight of Amélie Nothomb's novels were adapted in the form of audio books, four first ones were published by the editions "VDB", the others by "Audiolib" :

Support: 3 audio CD (lasted: 3:15 am min, complete text), ref. V.D.B. 008.

Support: 3 audio CD (lasted: 2:52 am min, complete text), ref. V.D.B. 033. Musical illustration: Thierry Duhamel.

Support: 4 audio CD (lasted: 4:17 am min, complete text), ref. V.D.B. 074. Musical illustration: Thierry Duhamel.

Support: 3 audio CD (lasted: 5:39 am min, complete text), ref. V.D.B. 104. Musical illustration: Thierry Duhamel.

Support: 1 audio CD (lasted: 3:50 am min, complete text), ref. Audiolib 25 0012 02.

Support: 1 audio CD (lasted: 3:00 am min, complete text), ref. Audiolib 25 0049 4.

Support: 2 audio CD (lasted: 1:54 am min, complete text), ref. Audiolib 25 0129 4.

Support: 1 audio CD (lasted: 2:42 am min, complete text), ref. Audiolib 25 281 3.

Film adaptations

Stage adaptations

With Valérie Mairesse, Pétronille de Saint-Rapt, Vanessa Jarry Direction: Annabelle Milot

With Pauline Foschia, Jeanne Gougeau, Laurence Vielle Adaptation et direction: Brigitte Bailleux, Laurence Vielle

With John Durand and Olivier Renault Adaptation and direction: Emmanuel Samatani and Jean-Daniel Uldry

With Michel Boy, Julie Turin, Grégory Gerrebo Direction: Stéphane Cottin

With Cécile Schletzer and Claire Rieussec Direction: Claire Rieussec

With Daniel Hanssens, Nathalie Cornet, Valérie Marchand and Vincent Lécuyer Direction: Pierre Santini

With Nathalie Cornet, Michel Hinderyckx, Jessica Gazon, Stéphanie Blanchoud… Adaptation and direction: Christine Delmotte

With Philippe Doré, Freddy Zimmer, Florine Moreau Direction: Hubert Vinzani

With Layla Metssitane Adaptation and direction: Layla Metssitane

Texts of songs

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Amélie Nothomb.

References

  1. 1 2 État présent de la noblesse belge, éditions of 1979, 1995 and 2010. Her birth is announced in n° 87, aout 1967, p. 340 of the Bulletin de l'association de la noblesse du royaume de Belgique, publication trimestrielle : Annonces de naissance : "Baron et Baronne Patrick Nothomb : Fabienne, 9 juillet 1966".
  2. ↑ Ireland, Benjamin Hiramatsu. "Amélie Nothomb's Distorted Truths: Birth, Identity, and Stupeur et tremblements.” New Zealand Journal of French Studies 33.1 (2012): 135–156.
  3. ↑ Ireland, Benjamin Hiramatsu. "Amélie Nothomb's Distorted Truths." 142.
  4. ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3654008/A-writers-life-Amelie-Nothomb.html
  5. ↑
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