The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2022 is awarded to the French author Annie Ernaux “for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory”.
Annie Ernaux becomes the first female French laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature. In her writing, Ernaux consistently and from different angles, examines a life marked by strong disparities regarding gender, language and class. Her path to authorship was long and arduous.
The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded by the Swedish Academy, Stockholm, Sweden.
The Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded 115 times to 119 Nobel Prize laureates between 1901 and 2022.
Ernaux started her literary career in 1974 with Les Armoires vides (Cleaned out), an autobiographical novel. She switched from fiction to autobiography very early in her life.
The eloquent description of her life experiences made her popular among the French readers and created a sense of relatability with her readers.
‘A girl’s story’ originally written in French and translated by Alison L. Strayer which presents an account of sexual encounter Ernaux has as a teenager, garnished praise from the critiques and was received as The New York Times Notable works.
Her 2008 historical memoir Les Années (The Years), was very well received by French critics, and it is considered by many to be her magnum opus.
Annie Ernaux was also nominated for the International Booker Prize 2019 for her book ‘The Years’.
