About
Agota Kristof was born in 1935 in Hungary. After the 1956 uprising, she fled to Switzerland with her family. She worked in a factory and later as a dental assistant while teaching herself French. She initially wrote in Hungarian, then adopted French for her major works. Her novel The Notebook (1986) brought her fame, followed by The Proof and The Third Lie, forming the Twins Trilogy. Her minimalist, dry style explores violence, exile, and survival. She received numerous awards, including the Prix du Livre Inter in 1992. She died in 2011 in Neuchâtel.
* 1935-10-28 — † 2011-07-27
Major works
- Le Grand Cahier (1986)novel
- La Preuve (1988)novel
- Le Troisième Mensonge (1991)novel
- Hier (1995)novel
- L'Analphabète (2004)autobiographical narrative
Key milestones
- 1956Fled Hungary after the uprising and settled in Switzerland as a refugee.
- 1986Publication of The Notebook, first volume of the Twins Trilogy.
- 2011Died in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Themes
exileviolencesurvivalidentitylanguage
Sources: nb.admin.ch · id.loc.gov