Jean-Claude Izzo
Encyclopedia
Jean-Claude Izzo was a French
poet, playwright, screenwriter, and novelist who achieved sudden fame in the mid-1990s with the publication of his three neo-noir
crime novels Total Chaos
, Chourmo
, and Solea
(widely known as the Marseilles Trilogy), featuring as protagonist ex-cop Fabio Montale, and set in the author's native city of Marseille
. All have been translated into English by Howard Curtis.
Jean-Claude Izzo was born on June 20, 1945 in Marseille, France. His father was an Italian immigrant and his maternal grandfather was a Spanish immigrant. He excelled in school and spent much of his time at his desk writing stories and poems. But because of his “immigrant” status, he was forced into a technical school where he was taught how to operate a lathe.
In 1963, he began work in a bookstore. He also actively campaigned on behalf of Pax Christi
, a Catholic peace movement. Then, in 1964, he was called up for military duty in Toulon
and Djibouti
. He worked for the military newspaper as a photographer and journalist.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
poet, playwright, screenwriter, and novelist who achieved sudden fame in the mid-1990s with the publication of his three neo-noir
Mediterranean noir
Mediterranean Noir refers to a literary style that employs elements of noir and hardboiled crime fiction in a Mediterranean setting. Sex, crime, and physical violence often figure prominently in Mediterranean Noir narratives...
crime novels Total Chaos
Total chaos (novel)
Total Chaos is the first novel of French author Jean-Claude Izzo's Marseilles Trilogy. It is considered a modern classic of the Mediterranean noir style.- Synopsis :...
, Chourmo
Chourmo
Chourmo is the second book of French author Jean-Claude Izzo's Marseilles Trilogy....
, and Solea
Solea (novel)
Solea is the third novel of French author Jean-Claude Izzo's Marseilles Trilogy....
(widely known as the Marseilles Trilogy), featuring as protagonist ex-cop Fabio Montale, and set in the author's native city of Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
. All have been translated into English by Howard Curtis.
Jean-Claude Izzo was born on June 20, 1945 in Marseille, France. His father was an Italian immigrant and his maternal grandfather was a Spanish immigrant. He excelled in school and spent much of his time at his desk writing stories and poems. But because of his “immigrant” status, he was forced into a technical school where he was taught how to operate a lathe.
In 1963, he began work in a bookstore. He also actively campaigned on behalf of Pax Christi
Pax Christi
-History:Pax Christi was established in France in 1945 as a reconciliation work between the French and the Germans after the Second World War. In 2007, it existed in more than 60 countries...
, a Catholic peace movement. Then, in 1964, he was called up for military duty in Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
and Djibouti
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
. He worked for the military newspaper as a photographer and journalist.
See also
- Mediterranean noirMediterranean noirMediterranean Noir refers to a literary style that employs elements of noir and hardboiled crime fiction in a Mediterranean setting. Sex, crime, and physical violence often figure prominently in Mediterranean Noir narratives...