Alexis Jenni
Encyclopedia
Alexis Jenni is a French
novelist and biology
teacher. His debut novel
, L'Art français de la guerre
, won the 2011 Prix Goncourt
, France's most prestigious literary award
.
at lycée Saint-Marc in Lyon.
His debut novel, L'Art français de la guerre
("The French art of war") was published on 18 August 2011, and was awarded the Prix Goncourt on 2 November 2011. In reaction to the award, Jenni said "I didn’t even think I would be published, so the Goncourt wasn’t even worth thinking about." The novel deals with France's colonial history in Indochina
and Algeria
, and was partly inspired by the debate on French identity that developed under the government of President Nicolas Sarkozy
. Rather than expressing his personal opinion on the debate, Jenni wanted to make his readers think about it themselves. As well as winning the Prix Goncourt, the novel was shortlisted for the Prix Médicis
and the Prix Femina
.
L'Art français de la guerre was technically Jenni's third novel, but was the first to be published. He had previously written one which he never submitted to a publisher, and one which was not accepted. According to Jenni, L'Art français de la guerre took five years to write. He considers himself a "Sunday writer, just as there are Sunday painters."
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
novelist and biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
teacher. His debut novel
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
, L'Art français de la guerre
L'Art français de la guerre
L'Art français de la guerre is a 2011 novel by the French writer Alexis Jenni, published by Éditions Gallimard. It is an adventure story about the military history of France in Indochina and Algeria...
, won the 2011 Prix Goncourt
Prix Goncourt
The Prix Goncourt is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year"...
, France's most prestigious literary award
Literary award
A literary award is an award presented to an author who has written a particularly lauded piece or body of work. There are awards for forms of writing ranging from poetry to novels. Many awards are also dedicated to a certain genre of fiction or non-fiction writing . There are also awards...
.
Biography
Jenni was born in 1963 in Lyon, France. He has a degree in biology, and is a professor in the life sciencesLife sciences
The life sciences comprise the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms, like plants, animals, and human beings. While biology remains the centerpiece of the life sciences, technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning of...
at lycée Saint-Marc in Lyon.
His debut novel, L'Art français de la guerre
L'Art français de la guerre
L'Art français de la guerre is a 2011 novel by the French writer Alexis Jenni, published by Éditions Gallimard. It is an adventure story about the military history of France in Indochina and Algeria...
("The French art of war") was published on 18 August 2011, and was awarded the Prix Goncourt on 2 November 2011. In reaction to the award, Jenni said "I didn’t even think I would be published, so the Goncourt wasn’t even worth thinking about." The novel deals with France's colonial history in Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
and Algeria
French Algeria
French Algeria lasted from 1830 to 1962, under a variety of governmental systems. From 1848 until independence, the whole Mediterranean region of Algeria was administered as an integral part of France, much like Corsica and Réunion are to this day. The vast arid interior of Algeria, like the rest...
, and was partly inspired by the debate on French identity that developed under the government of President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
. Rather than expressing his personal opinion on the debate, Jenni wanted to make his readers think about it themselves. As well as winning the Prix Goncourt, the novel was shortlisted for the Prix Médicis
Prix Médicis
The Prix Médicis is a French literary award given each year in November. It was founded in 1958 by Gala Barbisan and Jean-Pierre Giraudoux. It is awarded to an author whose "fame does not yet match his talent."...
and the Prix Femina
Prix Femina
The Prix Femina is a French literary prize created in 1904 by 22 writers for the magazine La Vie heureuse . The prize is decided each year by an exclusively female jury, although the authors of the winning works do not have to be women...
.
L'Art français de la guerre was technically Jenni's third novel, but was the first to be published. He had previously written one which he never submitted to a publisher, and one which was not accepted. According to Jenni, L'Art français de la guerre took five years to write. He considers himself a "Sunday writer, just as there are Sunday painters."