Mazarine Pingeot
Encyclopedia
Mazarine Marie Pingeot who changed her name to Mazarine Marie Pingeot-Mitterrand in 2005, is a writer, journalist and professor.
and his mistress
Anne Pingeot
. She is said to be named after the Bibliothèque Mazarine
, the oldest library in France
, because of her parents' love for books. The existence of this daughter of president Mitterrand was long hidden from the press. Ensuring confidentiality about it was one of the motivations behind some of the illegal wiretapping that Mitterrand ordered under the guise of fighting terrorism
.
She was a student first at the elite lycée Henri-IV in Paris and then at the École Normale Supérieure de Fontenay-Saint-Cloud
(now named the École Normale Supérieure Lettres et Sciences Humaines
), a highly prestigious school. In 1997 she passed the agrégation
de philosophie, and then started to write her Ph.D. thesis on the philosopher Spinoza, working as an assistant at the Université de Provence Aix-Marseille I.
She is also a journalist (writing for ELLE
magazine between 1999 and 2001) and a television anchor (on a French cable television channel, Paris Première
).
wrote "If there was a prize for braving the ridicule of critics, it would go to Mazarine Pingeot" (May 8, 2000). In 2003, she published a series of literary comments, "They told me who I was" ("they" being the books). In February 2005, she published her fourth book, Not a Word, a diary about her childhood life as a national secret. In 2007 she published her fifth book, Le Cimetière des poupées (The Cemetery of the Dolls), a novel about a woman who kills her baby and put it in a freezer.
Life
Daughter of former French president François MitterrandFrançois Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
and his mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
Anne Pingeot
Anne Pingeot
Anne Pingeot was the mistress of François Mitterrand, the former President of the French Republic. Together they had a daughter, Mazarine Pingeot....
. She is said to be named after the Bibliothèque Mazarine
Bibliothèque Mazarine
The Bibliothèque Mazarine is the oldest public library in France.- History :The Bibliothèque Mazarine was initially the personal library of cardinal Mazarin , who was a great bibliophile...
, the oldest library in France
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...
, because of her parents' love for books. The existence of this daughter of president Mitterrand was long hidden from the press. Ensuring confidentiality about it was one of the motivations behind some of the illegal wiretapping that Mitterrand ordered under the guise of fighting terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
.
She was a student first at the elite lycée Henri-IV in Paris and then at the École Normale Supérieure de Fontenay-Saint-Cloud
École normale supérieure lettres et sciences humaines
The École Normale Supérieure Lettres et Sciences Humaines, or ENS LSH, was an elite French grande école specialising in the arts, humanities and social sciences...
(now named the École Normale Supérieure Lettres et Sciences Humaines
École normale supérieure lettres et sciences humaines
The École Normale Supérieure Lettres et Sciences Humaines, or ENS LSH, was an elite French grande école specialising in the arts, humanities and social sciences...
), a highly prestigious school. In 1997 she passed the agrégation
Agrégation
In France, the agrégation is a civil service competitive examination for some positions in the public education system. The laureates are known as agrégés...
de philosophie, and then started to write her Ph.D. thesis on the philosopher Spinoza, working as an assistant at the Université de Provence Aix-Marseille I.
She is also a journalist (writing for ELLE
Elle
Elle may refer to:*Elle, Central African Republic*Elle , a fashion publication*Ellé, a river in France*Elle , a female given name*Elle , a Sri Lankan game similar to baseball*Ælle of Sussex, a Saxon king...
magazine between 1999 and 2001) and a television anchor (on a French cable television channel, Paris Première
Paris Première
Paris Première is a French TV channel, available on cable, satellite and the digital terrestrial service, Télévision Numérique Terrestre. It was launched on December 15, 1986 and is now wholly owned by M6.-External links:*...
).
Works
In 1998, she published her first novel, titled Premier Roman ("First Novel"), which was not highly praised by critics but was translated into many languages, including English. In 2000 she published Zeyn or the Reconquest, for which Charles Bremner of The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
wrote "If there was a prize for braving the ridicule of critics, it would go to Mazarine Pingeot" (May 8, 2000). In 2003, she published a series of literary comments, "They told me who I was" ("they" being the books). In February 2005, she published her fourth book, Not a Word, a diary about her childhood life as a national secret. In 2007 she published her fifth book, Le Cimetière des poupées (The Cemetery of the Dolls), a novel about a woman who kills her baby and put it in a freezer.
Family
A son, Ascot, was born on July 11, 2005, to Mazarine Pingeot and her companion, film producer Mohamed Ulad-Mohand. Their second child, a daughter named Tara, was born on October 5, 2007.External links
- Mazarine Pingeot on site of TimesOnline