2022 Nobel Prize in Literature Awarded to French Author Annie Ernaux for 'Autobiographical Novel' (Summary)

No, Arno. Photo by Gallimard Publishing House

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] Annie Ernaux (82), a French-born writer, has been honored with this year's Nobel Prize in Literature.

The Swedish Academy announced on the 6th (local time) that Ernaux has been selected as the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate.

The Academy explained the reason for awarding the Nobel Prize in Literature as "her courage and unadorned sharpness in uncovering the origins of personal memory, alienation, and the veil of collective constraint."

After the award announcement, Ernaux said in an interview with Swedish public broadcasting, "I consider this a great honor for me," and "At the same time, it is a great responsibility given to me."

Ernaux is regarded as a representative female novelist of contemporary French literature. Following her belief that "I have never written fiction that I have not directly experienced," she has mainly written autobiographical novels. She has been involved in controversies over obscenity for depicting human desires, inner emotions, and psychology in their raw form.

Ernaux was born on September 1, 1940, in Lillebonne, France, and grew up in Yvetot, Normandy. After studying literature at the University of Rouen, she worked as a secondary school teacher and university faculty member before obtaining a professorship in literature. She debuted in 1974 with the autobiographical novel Les Armoires vides (Empty Wardrobes) and won the Renault Prize for La Place (The Place) in 1984. In 2008, she received the Marguerite Duras Prize, Fran?ois Mauriac Prize, French Language Prize, and Telegram Readers' Prize for Les Ann?es (The Years), which surveys the changes in modern France.

In 2011, her collected works including autobiographical novels and unpublished diaries, Ecrire la vie (Writing Life), were incorporated into the 'Gallimard Collection' as the first living author. In 2003, the Annie Ernaux Prize was established in her name.

In Korea, her works such as The Years or Their Silence (Minumsa), Incident (Minumsa), Simple Passion (Munhakdongne), I Do Not Leave My Night (Yeollimwon), and A Woman (Yeollin Books) have been translated and published.

Meanwhile, the Swedish Academy, founded in 1786 by King Carl Gustaf III, has selected Nobel Literature laureates since 1901. Winners receive a prize of 10 million kronor (approximately 1.3 billion KRW), a medal, and a certificate.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.