About
Fatou Diome is a French-Senegalese writer born in 1968 on the island of Niodior, Senegal. Raised by her grandmother, she grew up in a Serer environment. After marrying a Frenchman, she moved to France in 1994. She earned a doctorate in literature from the University of Strasbourg and taught in France and Germany. Her first short story collection, La Préférence nationale, was published in 2001. Her novel Le Ventre de l'Atlantique (2003) achieved international success. She is the author of numerous novels and essays and has received several distinctions, including the LiBeraturpreis and the Prix des Hémisphères. In 2023, she was elected to the Royal Academy of French Language and Literature of Belgium.
* 1968-01-01
Major works
- La Préférence nationale (2001)short story collection
- Le Ventre de l'Atlantique (2003)novel
- Celles qui attendent (2010)novel
- Les Veilleurs de Sangomar (2019)novel
- Marianne porte plainte ! (2017)essay
Key milestones
- 2005Winner of the LiBeraturpreis for Le Ventre de l'Atlantique
- 2017Honorary doctorate from the University of Liège
- 2023Elected to the Royal Academy of French Language and Literature of Belgium
Themes
immigrationidentitywomen's conditionexilememory
Sources: arllfb.be · literaturfestival.com