Amélie Nothomb
Encyclopedia
Amélie Nothomb is a Belgian
writer
who writes in French
.
, Japan
to Belgian diplomats. She lived there until she was five years old, and then subsequently lived in China
, New York
, Bangladesh
, Burma, Coventry
and Laos
. She is from a distinguished Belgian political family; she is the grandniece of Charles-Ferdinand Nothomb
, a Belgian foreign minister (1980–1981), and great granddaughter of writer and politician Pierre Nothomb
. She has one brother and one sister, Juliette Nothomb.
Nothomb's first novel
, Hygiène de l'assassin, was published in 1992. Since then, she has published approximately one novel per year, including Les Catilinaires (1995), Fear and Trembling
(1999) and Métaphysique des tubes (2000, published in English as The Character of Rain). She has been awarded numerous prizes, including the 1999 Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française
, the Prix René-Fallet, and the 1993 Prix Alain-Fournier
.
While in Japan, Nothomb attended a local school and learned Japanese
. When she was five, the family moved to China
. "Quitter le Japon fut pour moi un arrachement" ("Leaving Japan was a wrenching separation for me"), she wrote in Fear and Trembling. Nothomb moved often, and she did not live in Europe
until she was 17, when she moved to Brussels
. There, she felt as much a stranger as everywhere else. She studied philology
at the Université Libre de Bruxelles
. After some family tensions, she returned to Japan to work in a Japanese company in Tokyo
. Her experience of this time is told in Fear and Trembling.
She wrote a romanticized biography
(The Book of Proper Names) for the French female singer Robert
in 2002 and during the period 2000-2002 she wrote the lyrics for nine tracks of the same artist.
Many ideas included in her books come from conversations she had with an Italian man from late eighties through the nineties. She used the French Minitel
, while he used the Italian Videotel system. They never met in person.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
who writes in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
Biography
Amélie Nothomb was born in KobeKobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to Belgian diplomats. She lived there until she was five years old, and then subsequently lived in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, Burma, Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
and Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
. She is from a distinguished Belgian political family; she is the grandniece of Charles-Ferdinand Nothomb
Charles-Ferdinand Nothomb
Baron Charles-Ferdinand N.M.P. Nothomb is a French speaking Belgian politician.He is a member of the Humanist Democratic Centre . He served as Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1980 until 1981...
, a Belgian foreign minister (1980–1981), and great granddaughter of writer and politician Pierre Nothomb
Pierre Nothomb
Pierre, Baron Nothomb was a Belgian writer and right-wing politician. Well known for his varied output of fiction Nothomb also came to prominence with a number of reactionary and near-fascist movements before the Second World War...
. She has one brother and one sister, Juliette Nothomb.
Nothomb's first novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, Hygiène de l'assassin, was published in 1992. Since then, she has published approximately one novel per year, including Les Catilinaires (1995), Fear and Trembling
Fear and Trembling (Nothomb)
Fear and Trembling is a novel by Amélie Nothomb, first published in 1999...
(1999) and Métaphysique des tubes (2000, published in English as The Character of Rain). She has been awarded numerous prizes, including the 1999 Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française
Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française
Le Grand Prix du Roman is a French literary award, created in 1918, and given each year by the Académie française. Along with the Prix Goncourt, it is one of the oldest and most prestigious literary awards in France...
, the Prix René-Fallet, and the 1993 Prix Alain-Fournier
Prix Alain-Fournier
The Prix Alain-Fournier is a French literary prize, awarded by the town of Saint-Amand-Montrond in honour of Alain-Fournier, author of Le Grand Meaulnes...
.
While in Japan, Nothomb attended a local school and learned Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
. When she was five, the family moved to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. "Quitter le Japon fut pour moi un arrachement" ("Leaving Japan was a wrenching separation for me"), she wrote in Fear and Trembling. Nothomb moved often, and she did not live in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
until she was 17, when she moved to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. There, she felt as much a stranger as everywhere else. She studied philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
at the Université Libre de Bruxelles
Université Libre de Bruxelles
The Université libre de Bruxelles is a French-speaking university in Brussels, Belgium. It has 21,000 students, 29% of whom come from abroad, and an equally cosmopolitan staff.-Name:...
. After some family tensions, she returned to Japan to work in a Japanese company in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. Her experience of this time is told in Fear and Trembling.
She wrote a romanticized biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
(The Book of Proper Names) for the French female singer Robert
Robert (singer)
Robert, or RoBERT , is a French singer, composer and lyricist.An independent artist and songwriter, Robert's musical style is described as fairy-like, halfway between the tragic and the gothic, sometimes with a pinch of nonsense...
in 2002 and during the period 2000-2002 she wrote the lyrics for nine tracks of the same artist.
Many ideas included in her books come from conversations she had with an Italian man from late eighties through the nineties. She used the French Minitel
Minitel
The Minitel is a Videotex online service accessible through the telephone lines, and is considered one of the world's most successful pre-World Wide Web online services. It was launched in France in 1982 by the PTT...
, while he used the Italian Videotel system. They never met in person.