Patrick Besson

Life

Besson was born of a half Russian father and a Croatian mother. He published his first novel, Early Mornings of Love, in 1974, aged 17.

A Communist sympathizer, Besson is a literary chronicler with the newspaper L'Humanité. He also wrote for the newspaper L'Idiot international, whose editor is Jean-Edern Hallier.

Besson supported Serbia during the Yugoslav Wars, which created tension with other intellectuals like Michel Polac, Romain Goupil and Didier Daeninckx. Attacks by Daeninckx led Besson to criticize him in a novel, called Didier Denounces (editions Gerard de Villiers).

Besson wrote a poem, Sonnet Pour Florence Rey, in dedication to the girl who went on a killing spree in Paris in 1994.

In 1987, "L'Humanite" sent Besson to Brazzaville to attend a congress of writers against the South African apartheid.

Awards

Besson received a Grand prix du roman de l'Académie française in 1985 for Dara and the Prix Renaudot in 1995 for Braban.

Works