About
Georges Perec, born in Paris in 1936, is a major French writer of the 20th century. Orphaned by his father (killed in action in 1940) and mother (deported to Auschwitz), he was adopted by an aunt. After studying sociology and history at the Sorbonne, he worked as an archivist at Saint-Antoine Hospital. A member of Oulipo from 1967, he explored literary constraints. His first novel, Things, won the Prix Renaudot in 1965. He is famous for A Void (a novel without the letter e), W or the Memory of Childhood, and Life: A User's Manual, which won the Prix Médicis. He died in 1982.
* 1936-03-07 — † 1982-03-03
Major works
- Les Choses (1965)novel
- La Disparition (1969)novel
- W ou le souvenir d'enfance (1975)autobiographical narrative
- La Vie mode d'emploi (1978)novel
- Je me souviens (1978)collection
Key milestones
- 1967Becomes a member of Oulipo.
- 1965Wins the Prix Renaudot for Things.
- 1978Receives the Prix Médicis for Life: A User's Manual.
Themes
literary constraintmemory and childhoodeveryday lifeidentitygames and mathematical structures
Sources: classes.bnf.fr · britannica.com