About
Virginie Despentes, born in 1969 in Nancy, is a major figure in contemporary French literature. After an adolescence marked by marginality, she achieved success with her first novel Baise-moi (1994), adapted into a film in 2000. Her autobiographical essay King Kong Théorie (2006) became a foundational text of contemporary feminism. Awarded the Prix de Flore (1998) and the Prix Renaudot (2010), she was elected to the Académie Goncourt in 2016. Her trilogy Vernon Subutex (2015-2017) met with great critical and public success. In 2019, she received the Prix de la BnF for her complete works.
* 1969-06-13
Major works
- Baise-moi (1994)novel
- Les Jolies Choses (1998)novel
- King Kong Théorie (2006)essay
- Apocalypse Bébé (2010)novel
- Vernon Subutex (2015)novel trilogy
Key milestones
- 1998Becomes the first woman to receive the Prix de Flore for Les Jolies Choses.
- 2016Elected to the Académie Goncourt.
- 2019Receives the Prix de la BnF for her complete works, the first fiction author so honored.
Themes
FeminismMarginalityViolencePunk cultureContemporary society
Sources: cms-www-adm.bnf.fr · cccb.org