Famous French authors. On request: the most widely read contemporary French and foreign writers in France. Quotes and aphorisms

Every year on March 20, International Francophonie Day is celebrated. This day is dedicated to the French language, which is spoken by more than 200 million people around the world.

We took advantage of this opportunity and propose to remember the best French writers of our time, representing France in the international book arena.

Frederic Beigbeder . Prose writer, publicist, literary critic and editor. His literary works, with descriptions of modern life, a person's tossing around in the world of money and love experiences, very quickly won fans around the world. The most sensational books, “Love Lives for Three Years” and “99 Francs,” were even filmed. The novels “Memoirs of an Unreasonable Young Man”, “Holidays in a Coma”, “Stories on Ecstasy”, “Romantic Egoist” also brought well-deserved fame to the writer. Over time, Beigbeder founded his own literary award, the Flora Prize.

Michel Houellebecq . One of the most widely read French writers of the early 21st century. His books have been translated into nearly three dozen languages, and he is extremely popular among young people. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the writer managed to touch on the pain points of modern life. His novel “Elementary Particles” (1998) received the Grand Prix, and “Map and Territory” (2010) received the Prix Goncourt. They were followed by "The Platform", "Lanzarote", "The Possibility of the Island", etc., and each of these books became a bestseller.

The writer's new novel"Submission" tells of the collapse of the modern political system of France in the near future. The author himself defined the genre of his novel as “political fiction.” The action takes place in 2022. A Muslim president comes to power democratically, and the country begins to change before our eyes...

Bernard Werber . Cult science fiction writer and philosopher. His name on the cover of the book means only one thing - a masterpiece! The total worldwide circulation of his books is more than 10 million! The writer is best known for the trilogies “Ants”, “Thanatonautes”, “We Gods” and “The Third Humanity”. His books have been translated into many languages, and seven novels have become bestsellers in Russia, Europe, America and Korea. The author has won a lot of literary awards, incl. Jules Verne Prize.

One of the most sensational books of the writer -"Empire of Angels" , where fantasy, mythology, mysticism and the real life of ordinary people intertwine. The main character of the novel goes to heaven, undergoes the “Last Judgment” and becomes an angel on Earth. According to heavenly rules, he is given three human clients, whose lawyer he must subsequently become at the Last Judgment...

Guillaume Musso . A relatively young writer, very popular among French readers. Each of his new works becomes a bestseller, and films are made based on his works. The deep psychologism, piercing emotionality and vivid figurative language of the books fascinate readers all over the world. The action of his adventure and psychological novels takes place all over the world - in France, the USA and other countries. Following the heroes, readers go on adventures full of dangers, investigate mysteries, plunge into the abyss of the heroes’ passions, which, of course, gives a reason to look into their inner world.

Based on the writer's new novel"Because I love you" - the tragedy of one family. Mark and Nicole were happy until their little daughter - their only, long-awaited and adored child - disappeared...

Mark Levy . One of the most famous novelists, whose works have been translated into dozens of languages ​​and published in huge editions. The writer is a laureate of the national Goya Prize. Steven Spielberg paid two million dollars for the rights to film his first novel, Between Heaven and Earth.

Literary critics note the versatility of the author’s work. In his books - “Seven Days of Creation”, “Meet Again”, “Everyone Wants to Love”, “Leave to Return”, “Stronger than Fear”, etc. - the theme of selfless love and sincere friendship, the secrets of old mansions and intrigue is often encountered , reincarnation and mysticism, unexpected twists in storylines.

Writer's new book"She and He" is one of the best novels of 2015. This romantic story is about irresistible and unpredictable love.

Anna Gavalda . A famous writer who captivated the world with her novels and their exquisite, poetic style. She is called the “star of French literature” and “the new Francoise Sagan.” Her books have been translated into dozens of languages, awarded a whole constellation of awards, and they have been used for performances and films. Each of her works is a story about love and how it adorns every person.
In 2002, the writer’s first novel, “I Loved Her, I Loved Him,” was published. But this was all just a prelude to the real success that the book brought her"Just Together" , which eclipsed even Brown’s novel “The Da Vinci Code” in France.This is an incredibly wise and kind book about love and loneliness, about life and, of course, happiness.

French writers are among the most prominent representatives of European prose. Many of them are recognized novels and stories of which served as the basis for the formation of fundamentally new artistic movements and directions. Of course, modern world literature owes a lot to France; the influence of writers from this country extends far beyond its borders.

Moliere

The French writer Moliere lived in the 17th century. His real name is Jean-Baptiste Poquelin. Moliere is a theatrical pseudonym. He was born in 1622 in Paris. In his youth, he studied to become a lawyer, but as a result, an acting career attracted him more. Over time, he had his own troupe.

He made his debut in Paris in 1658 in the presence of Louis XIV. The play "The Doctor in Love" was a great success. In Paris, he takes up writing dramatic works. Over the course of 15 years, he created his best plays, which often provoked fierce attacks from others.

One of his first comedies, entitled "Funny Primroses", was first staged in 1659.

It tells the story of two rejected suitors who are coldly received in the house of the bourgeois Gorgibus. They decide to take revenge and teach capricious and cutesy girls a lesson.

One of the most famous plays by the French writer Moliere is called "Tartuffe, or the Deceiver." It was written in 1664. The action of this work takes place in Paris. Tartuffe, a modest, learned and selfless man, ingratiates himself into the trust of the wealthy owner of the house, Orgon.

Those around Orgon are trying to prove to him that Tartuffe is not as simple as he pretends to be, but the owner of the house does not believe anyone except his new friend. Finally, Tartuffe’s true essence is revealed when Orgon entrusts him with the storage of money, transfers his capital and house to him. Only thanks to the intervention of the king is it possible to restore justice.

Tartuffe is punished, and Orgon's property and house are returned. This play made Moliere the most famous French writer of his time.

Voltaire

In 1694, another famous French writer, Voltaire, was born in Paris. It is interesting that, like Moliere, he had a pseudonym, and his real name was Francois-Marie Arouet.

He was born into the family of an official. He received his education at a Jesuit college. But, like Moliere, he left jurisprudence, choosing in favor of literature. He began his career in the palaces of aristocrats as a freeloading poet. Soon he was imprisoned. For satirical poems dedicated to the regent and his daughter, he was imprisoned in the Bastille. Later, he had to suffer more than once for his willful literary disposition.

In 1726, the French writer Voltaire left for England, where he devoted three years to the study of philosophy, politics and science. Returning, he writes for which the publisher is sent to prison, and Voltaire manages to escape.

Voltaire, first of all, is a famous French writer and philosopher. In his writings, he repeatedly criticizes religion, which was unacceptable for that time.

Among the most famous works of this writer on French literature, one should highlight the satirical poem “The Virgin of Orleans.” In it, Voltaire presents the successes of Joan of Arc in a comic manner and ridicules the courtiers and knights. Voltaire died in 1778 in Paris; it is known that for a long time he corresponded with the Russian Empress Catherine II.

The 19th century French writer Honore de Balzac was born in the town of Tours. His father got rich by reselling land, even though he was a peasant. He wanted Balzac to become a lawyer, but he abandoned his legal career, devoting himself entirely to literature.

He published the first book under his own name in 1829. It was a historical novel, "Chouans", dedicated to the Great French Revolution of 1799. His fame is brought to him by the story “Gobsek” about a moneylender for whom stinginess turns into mania, and the novel “Shagreen Skin”, dedicated to the clash of an inexperienced person with the vices of modern society. Balzac becomes one of the favorite French writers of that time.

The idea for the main work of his life came to him in 1831. He decides to create a multi-volume work that will reflect the picture of the morals of his contemporary society. He would later call this work “The Human Comedy.” This is a philosophical and artistic history of France, to the creation of which he devotes the rest of his life. The French writer, author of The Human Comedy, includes many previously written works in it, and specially reworks some.

Among them are the already mentioned “Gobsek”, as well as “A Thirty-Year-Old Woman”, “Colonel Chabert”, “Père Goriot”, “Eugenia Grande”, “Lost Illusions”, “The Splendor and Poverty of Courtesans”, “Sarrazin”, “Lily of the Valley” and many other works. It is as the author of The Human Comedy that the French writer Honore de Balzac remains in the history of world literature.

Among the French writers of the 19th century, Victor Hugo also stands out. One of the key figures of French romanticism. He was born in the town of Besançon in 1802. He began writing at the age of 14, these were poems, in particular, Hugo translated Virgil. In 1823 he published his first novel entitled "Gan the Icelander".

In the 30-40s of the 19th century, the work of the French writer V. Hugo was closely connected with the theater; he also published poetry collections.

Among his most famous works is the epic novel Les Miserables, which is deservedly considered one of the greatest books of the entire 19th century. Its main character, an ex-convict, angry at all of humanity, returns from hard labor, where he spent 19 years due to the theft of bread. He ends up with a Catholic bishop, who completely changes his life.

The priest treats him with respect, and when Valjean steals from him, he forgives him and does not hand him over to the authorities. The man who accepted and took pity on him shocked the protagonist so much that he decides to found a factory for making black glass products. Becomes the mayor of a small town, for which the factory turns into a city-forming enterprise.

But when he still stumbles, the French police rush to look for him, Valjean is forced to hide.

In 1831, another famous work of the French writer Hugo was published - the novel Notre Dame de Paris. The action takes place in Paris. The main female character is the gypsy Esmeralda, who drives everyone around her crazy with her beauty. The priest of Notre Dame Cathedral is secretly in love with her. His pupil, the hunchback Quasimodo, who works as a bell-ringer, is fascinated by the girl.

The girl herself remains faithful to the captain of the royal riflemen, Phoebus de Chateaupere. Blinded by jealousy, Frollo wounds Phoebus, and Esmeralda herself becomes the accused. She is sentenced to death. When the girl is brought to the square to be hanged, Frollo and Quasimodo watch. The hunchback, realizing that it is the priest who is to blame for her troubles, throws him from the top of the cathedral.

When talking about the books of the French writer Victor Hugo, one cannot fail to mention the novel “The Man Who Laughs.” The writer created it in the 60s of the 19th century. Its main character is Gwynplaine, who was mutilated as a child by representatives of a criminal community of child traffickers. The fate of Gwynplaine is very similar to the story of Cinderella. From a fair artist he turns into an English peer. By the way, the action takes place in Britain at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries.

The famous French writer, author of the story “Dumpling”, the novels “Dear Friend”, “Life”, Guy de Maupassant was born in 1850. During his studies, he showed himself to be a capable student with a passion for theatrical art and literature. He served as a private during the Franco-Prussian War and worked as an official in the Naval Ministry after his family went bankrupt.

The aspiring writer immediately captivated the public with his debut story “Pumpkin,” in which he told about an overweight prostitute nicknamed Pumpkin, who, along with nuns and representatives of the upper classes, leaves the besieged Rouen during the war of 1870. The ladies around her at first treat the girl arrogantly, even unite against her, but when they run out of food, they willingly help themselves to her provisions, forgetting about any hostility.

The main themes of Maupassant's work were Normandy, the Franco-Prussian War, women (as a rule, they became victims of violence), and their own pessimism. Over time, his nervous illness intensifies, and themes of hopelessness and depression occupy him more and more.

His novel “Dear Friend” is very popular in Russia, in which the author talks about an adventurer who managed to make a brilliant career. It is noteworthy that the hero does not have any talents other than natural beauty, thanks to which he conquers all the ladies around him. He does a lot of mean things, with which he calmly gets along, becoming one of the powerful of this world.

He was born in 1885 into a wealthy family of Jews from Alsace who converted to Catholicism. He studied at the Rouen Lyceum. At first he worked at his father's cloth factory.

During the First World War he was a liaison officer and military translator. His first success came in 1918, when he published the novel The Silent Colonel Bramble.

Later he participated in the French Resistance. He also served during World War II. After France capitulated to fascist troops, he left for the USA, in America he wrote biographies of General Eisenhower, Washington, Franklin, Chopin. Returned to France in 1946.

In addition to his biographical works, Maurois was famous as a master of the psychological novel. Among the most notable books of this genre are the novels: “Family Circle”, “The Vicissitudes of Love”, “Memoirs”, published in 1970.

Albert Camus is a famous French writer and publicist who was close to the current of existentialism. Camus was born in Algeria in 1913, which was a French colony at the time. My father died in the First World War, after which my mother and I lived in poverty.

In the 1930s, Camus studied philosophy at the University of Algiers. He became interested in socialist ideas, even was a member of the French Communist Party, until he was expelled, suspected of “Trotskyism.”

In 1940, Camus completed his first famous work - the story "The Stranger", which is considered a classic illustration of the ideas of existentialism. The story is told on behalf of a 30-year-old Frenchman named Meursault, who lives in colonial Algeria. On the pages of the story, three main events of his life take place - the death of his mother, the murder of a local resident and the subsequent trial; from time to time he starts a relationship with a girl.

In 1947, Camus's most famous novel, The Plague, was published. This book is in many ways an allegory of the “brown plague” recently defeated in Europe - fascism. At the same time, Camus himself admitted that he put evil in general into this image, without which it is impossible to imagine existence.

In 1957, the Nobel Committee awarded him the Literature Prize for works that highlighted the importance of human conscience.

The famous French writer Jean-Paul Sartre, like Camus, was an adherent of the ideas of existentialism. By the way, he was also awarded the Nobel Prize (in 1964), but Sartre refused it. He was born in Paris in 1905.

He proved himself not only in literature, but also in journalism. In the 50s, working for the magazine "New Times", he supported the desire of the Algerian people to gain independence. He advocated for the freedom of self-determination of peoples, against torture and colonialism. French nationalists repeatedly threatened him, twice blew up his apartment, located in the center of the capital, and militants repeatedly seized the magazine's editorial office.

Sartre supported the Cuban Revolution and took part in student unrest in 1968.

His most famous work is the novel Nausea. He wrote it back in 1938. The reader finds himself in the diary of a certain Antoine Roquentin, who keeps it with one single goal - to get to the bottom of it. He is worried about the changes happening to him, which the hero cannot figure out. The nausea that overcomes Antoine from time to time becomes the main symbol of the novel.

Soon after the October Revolution, such a thing as Russian-French writers appeared. A large number of domestic writers were forced to emigrate; many found refuge in France. The writer Gaito Gazdanov, born in St. Petersburg in 1903, is called French.

During the Civil War in 1919, Gazdanov joined Wrangel's volunteer army, although he was only 16 years old at the time. Served as a soldier on an armored train. When the White army was forced to retreat, he ended up in the Crimea, from there he sailed by ship to Constantinople. He settled in Paris in 1923 and spent most of his life there.

His fate was not easy. He worked as a locomotive cleaner, a loader at the port, a mechanic at the Citroen plant, when he could not find any work, he spent the night on the street, living like a clochard.

At the same time, he studied for four years at the University of History and Philology at the famous French Sorbonne University. Even after becoming a famous writer, he was not financially solvent for a long time and was forced to work as a taxi driver at night.

In 1929, he published his first novel, An Evening at Claire's. The novel is conventionally divided into two parts. The first tells about the events that happened to the hero before meeting Claire. And the second part is devoted to memories of the times of the Civil War in Russia; the novel is largely autobiographical. The thematic centers of the work are the death of the protagonist's father, the situation that prevails in the cadet corps, and Claire. One of the central images is an armored train, which serves as a symbol of constant departure, the desire to always learn something new.

It is interesting that critics divide Gazdanov’s novels into “French” and “Russian”. They can be used to track the formation of the author’s creative self-awareness. In “Russian” novels, the plot, as a rule, is based on an adventurous strategy, the experience of the “traveler” author, and many personal impressions and events are revealed. Gazdanov's autobiographical works are the most sincere and frank.

Gazdanov differs from most of his contemporaries in his laconicism, refusal of the traditional and classical novel form, often he does not have a plot, climax, denouement, or a clearly structured plot. At the same time, his narrative is as close as possible to real life; it covers many psychological, philosophical, social and spiritual problems. Most often, Gazdanov is not interested in the events themselves, but in how they change the consciousness of his characters; he tries to interpret the same life manifestations in different ways. His most famous novels: “The Story of a Journey”, “Flight”, “Night Roads”, “The Ghost of Alexander Wolf”, “The Return of the Buddha” (after the success of this novel he came to relative financial independence), “Pilgrims”, “Awakening” , "Evelina and Her Friends", "Coup", which was never completed.

No less popular are the stories of the French writer Gazdanov, whom he can fully call himself. These are “The Lord of the Future”, “Comrade Brak”, “Black Swans”, “The Eight of Spades Society”, “Error”, “Evening Companion”, “Ivanov’s Letter”, “The Beggar”, “Lanterns”, “The Great Musician”.

In 1970, the writer was diagnosed with lung cancer. He bravely endured the illness; most of his acquaintances did not even suspect that Gazdanov was sick. Few of those close to him knew how hard it was for him. The prose writer died in Munich and was buried in the Sainte-Genevieve des Bois cemetery near the French capital.

There are many popular French writers among their contemporaries. Perhaps the most famous among those living today is Frederick Beigbeder. He was born in 1965 near Paris. He received a higher education at the Institute of Political Studies, then studied marketing and advertising.

Started working as a copywriter in a large advertising agency. At the same time, he collaborated with magazines as a literary critic. When he was fired from an advertising agency, he took up the novel “99 Francs,” which brought him worldwide success. This is a bright and frank satire that exposed the ins and outs of the advertising business.

The main character is an employee of a large advertising agency; we note that the novel is largely autobiographical. He lives in luxury, having a lot of money, women, and indulging in drugs. His life is turned upside down after two events that force the protagonist to take a different look at the world around him. It's an affair with the agency's most beautiful employee, Sophie, and a meeting at a huge dairy corporation about a commercial he's working on.

The main character decides to rebel against the system that gave birth to him. He begins to sabotage his own advertising campaign.

By that time, Begbeder had already published two books - “Memoirs of an Unreasonable Young Man” (the title refers to Simone de Beauvoir’s novel “Memoirs of a Well-Brought-Up Girl”), a collection of short stories “Holidays in a Coma” and the novel “Love Lives for Three Years”, subsequently filmed. as well as "99 francs". Moreover, in this film Beigbeder himself acted as a director.

Many of Beigbeder's heroes are extravagant playmakers, very similar to the author himself.

In 2002, he published the novel Windows on the World, written exactly one year after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York. Beigbeder is trying to find words that can express the horror of the impending reality, which turns out to be worse than the most incredible Hollywood fantasies.

In 2009, he wrote "The French Novel", an autobiographical narrative in which the author is placed in a holding cell for using cocaine in a public place. There he begins to remember his forgotten childhood, recalling the meeting of his parents, their divorce, his life with his older brother. Meanwhile, the arrest is extended, the hero begins to be overwhelmed by fear, which forces him to reconsider his own life and leave prison as a different person who has regained his lost childhood.

One of Beigbeder’s latest works is the novel “Una and Salinger,” which tells the story of the love between the famous American writer, who wrote the main book for teenagers of the 20th century, “The Catcher in the Rye,” and the 15-year-old daughter of the famous Irish playwright Una O’Neill.

Anna Gavalda

Popular French writer.

Date and place of birth – December 9, 1970, Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France.

Anna Gavalda was born in a prestigious suburb of Paris. Anna's great-grandmother was a native of St. Petersburg (line of ancestors with the surname Fulda). After her parents' divorce, she lived in a boarding school from the age of fourteen, then received an education at the Sorbonne. In 1992 she won the national competition for the best love letter. In 1998, she won the Blood in the Inkwell Prize for her novella Aristote and won two other literary competitions.

In 1999, while working as a teacher in a high school, she released her first collection of short stories, “I Would Like Someone to Wait for Me Somewhere,” which was warmly received by critics. For this collection, Anna was awarded the RTL Grand Prix. “I would like someone to wait for me somewhere” was translated into almost 30 languages ​​and brought its author the fame of a new star of French literature. However, Anna’s real success came from the novels “I Loved Her. I loved him" and "Just Together", the latter of which collected a huge number of literary awards.

All three books became bestsellers and sold 1,885,000, 1,259,000 and 2,040,000 copies respectively between 2004 and 2008, earning the author more than 32 million euros.

In March 2007, Claude Berri's film "Simply Together" starring Audrey Tautou, based on the novel of the same name by Anna Gavalda, was released on French screens. French critics greeted the film with enthusiasm and were generous with their praise. During the four weeks of release in France, the film was watched by almost 2 million viewers, and at the sixth International Forum of Literature and Cinema, held in Monaco, the director received an award for the best film adaptation of the novel. In 2009, Isabelle Brightman made a film based on the novel “I Loved Her. I loved him" starring Daniel Auteuil.

Romance novels

Just together - March 2004

An amazingly wise and kind book about love and loneliness, about life. Oh happiness. Anna Gavalda's second novel is an amazing story, full of laughter and tears, gracefully woven from painfully familiar everyday life, from failures and unexpected victories, from accidents, happy and not so happy. This book has won the hearts of millions of readers, has collected a huge number of literary awards, is translated into 36 languages, and has already been made into a film.

I loved her. I loved him - October 2003

The first published novel by the French writer Anna Gavalda. The main character, Chloe, was abandoned by her husband Adrian with two small children. Adrian's father, Pierre, takes his daughter-in-law and granddaughters to a country house. There, a frank conversation takes place between Chloe and Pierre, in which Pierre tells the story of his love for Mathilde, which he hid from everyone for 20 years.

In the spring of 2009, the novel was filmed by director Isabel Brightman. The main characters were played by Daniel Auteuil and Marie-Josée Croze.

Freedom tray - August 2010

“A Breath of Freedom” is a story about a great weekend. About his brother’s meeting with his beloved sisters, about their cheerful escape from a family celebration, about a trip to the castle to visit his younger brother Vincent, about the adventures of the “magnificent four,” about Loire wines, about mutual understanding, about the joy of life, about creativity, about love. Anna Gavalda is one of the most read authors in the world. She is called the “star of French literature” and “the new Francoise Sagan”

B illy – 2014

I am 2014

35 kilos of hope

Thirteen-year-old Gregoire remembers well how his first teacher said about him: “A head like a sieve, golden hands and a huge heart...” This is how he lives day after day: he adores his grandfather, does crafts and hates school, where his parents send him every morning . One day, having learned that there is a lyceum in the world where boys are always making something, he, locked in his room, writes a funny and touching letter asking to be allowed to study there,puts the drawings of his first invention - a banana peeling machine - into an envelope and... waits excitedly. Maybe, in fact, grades are not the most important thing and it is much more important to know what you want from life?

Quotes and aphorisms

If I drink, I drink too much, if I smoke, I get stoned, if I fall in love, I lose my mind, and when I work, I drive myself to exhaustion... I can’t do anything normally, calmly.

A good deed is the hand of a friend. It does not oblige the one who holds it out to anything, and is very comforting to the one who shakes it.

Well, I fell in love, what can I say... You will also fall in love, you will see for yourself... You can’t help but love him... This guy, he... He alone can illuminate this whole city...

Today you want one thing - to die, and tomorrow you wake up and realize that you just had to go down a few steps, feel for the switch on the wall and see life in a completely different light...

And she starts crying. Not because she's sad, but to cope with it all. Tears are a liquid, they help digest the stone rubbish, and then she can breathe again.

To be together. Just be together. But this is difficult, very difficult, and not only for schizophrenics and holy fools. It’s difficult for everyone to open up, believe, give, count, endure, understand. It’s so difficult that sometimes the prospect of dying from loneliness doesn’t seem like the worst option.

Ideal people are so boring...

She was cheerful.
Sad, but cheerful.

What prevents people from living together is their stupidity, not their differences.

The only girl in the universe who can wear his grandmother's scarf while remaining beautiful will never belong to him.
Idiot life...

She loved him - and she didn’t love him, she was ready to give herself up - and she didn’t give in, she tried - and she didn’t believe it.

Hell is when you can no longer see those you love... Everything else doesn't count.

For the first time in a very long time, tomorrow seemed... possible to her.

Anna Gavalda (French writer) – books and quotes from books updated: January 19, 2017 by: website

Today naughty Frederic Beigbeder celebrates his 50th birthday. We took advantage of this occasion and remembered the best French writers of our time.

Thanks to Beigbeder, Houellebecq, Levy, Verber and Gavalde, modern French literature is read and loved far beyond the borders of France. There is an opinion, for example, that Beigbeder and Houellebecq are more popular abroad than at home. This can be explained by the fact that the publishing business in France, although it is not blooming and smelling, is not stopping either - new writers appear here every week, but it was still possible to single out the most read ones.

Frederic Beigbeder

An advertising agency employee easily survived his dismissal - the reason for the dismissal was a scandalous novel 99 francs (today - 14.99 euros), which tells about the side of the advertising business hidden from ordinary people. Coming from a wealthy family, Beigbeder, in principle, could not work or write, but after 99 francs he was unstoppable - with a slight delay, the book Love Lives for Three Years, published three years earlier, and then any equally cynical and snobbish book became popular , Beigbeder's creation was a success with the public simply because of his name on the cover.

Michel Houellebecq

The most famous French writer outside of France. Houellebecq's novels are sharp, juicy, and often psychologically difficult. Each work contains the reflections of an intellectual, attempts to understand the world without losing respect for people. Read: Expanding the space of struggle, Elementary particles, The possibility of an island.

Daniel Pennac

The charming intellectual humorist is known in France for his children's books (Dog the Dog, Eye of the Wolf), and then found himself in the ironic detective genre, starting a series of novels about the loser Benjamin Malossin (read: Cannibal Happiness, The Carbine Fairy, The Little Prose Trader, Mister Malossin) . The cartoon Ernest and Celestine: The Adventures of a Mouse and a Bear, based on Pennac's script, received the French Cesar Award (“Oscar's colleague”).

Bernard Werber

A philosopher and graphomaniac, Werber filled all bookstores - and not only in his homeland. The most famous works are the ant trilogy (Ants, Day of the Ant, Revolution of the Ants - practically the Matrix, in general!) and the highly pretentious Star Butterfly, which draws haunting parallels with the Bible.

Guillaume Musso

A relatively young French novelist, wildly popular among French readers. As soon as Musso’s new novel comes out, you immediately see it in the hands of every second person on the subway and in a restaurant. Read: After... (two literary awards and the film adaptation of Hostage to Death, 2008), Paper Girl, Tomorrow.

Antoine Volodin

The author wrote more than 30 works in different genres - and signed them with different names. The author's real name is still kept secret - only the Russian grandmother, birth in Burgundy, translation of Tokareva, Strugatsky, Limonov and others into French is known. Without giving critics the opportunity to attribute him to any literary movement, Volodin rushes between genres and asks his style to be called post-exoticism. Read: Dondog and everything you find in Russian.

Andrey Makin

Andrei Sergeevich Makin is the grandson of a French emigrant who settled in Russia in 1917. He studied in Moscow, then went to France and asked for asylum. He taught Russian to the French and wrote books that they did not want to publish - then he passed them off as translations of Russian works into French. After that, they began to publish him - and for his third novel (The French Testament) he received the most prestigious literary award in France - the Gongur Prize.

Pascal Quignard

Winner of the Gongur Prize, essayist, poet, prose writer - writes both novels and philosophical essays, and poetry. Read: Sex and Fear (about the evolution of eroticism in ancient art), The Staircases of Chambord (studying the architecture of the Chateau de Chambord in the Loire, designed by Leonardo da Vinci, the main character reflects on happiness and human relationships), All the Mornings of the World (about art and love).

Mark Levy

The prolific novelist once built a business in Silicon Valley working in computer graphics. After the success of his first book (Only if it were true - the book was used to make the Hollywood film Between Heaven and Earth with Reese Witherspoon) he stopped doing business and devoted himself entirely to literature. Levy is a popular writer among housewives and the quiet intelligentsia. To a person accustomed to aggressive and intellectual prose, his books may seem something like an exquisite Daria Dontsova.

Anna Gavalda

There are only eight novels - and what popularity! Ever since the first novel - I loved her. I loved him - it became clear that Françoise Sagan’s laurels haunted Anna. Later she found her own path: each of her works is a story about love, to one degree or another, and how it adorns every person. Read: Just together, A consolation game of petanque.

In early autumn, when the rains and warm sweaters have not yet become boring, you especially want a cozy and pleasant read - not too complicated, not too long and, of course, about love. Especially for those who can’t wait to wrap themselves in a blanket and spend a couple of pleasant hours in the company of heroes similar to each of us, Natasha Bayburina I selected 6 novels by contemporary French authors. Happy reading!

“Later I will understand that you find love when you are not looking for it; This stupid common statement is, oddly enough, true. And I will also understand in time - amazing discovery - that this also applies to writing a book. There is no need to specifically look for ideas and waste tons of paper on drafts: the book should come on its own, the first step is behind her. You just have to be ready to let her in when she knocks on the door of imagination. And then the words will flow on their own, easily and naturally.”

“All my previous loves were just drafts, you became a masterpiece.”

Feminine and sophisticated writer Valerie Tong-Cuong is often called the new Anna Gavalda. Her novels have been translated into many foreign languages, and one of them is already being made into a film. The book “Providence” brought Valerie not only world fame, but also a nomination for the prestigious French Femina Prize. This novel is about hope, the butterfly effect and banal little things that connect completely different people with an invisible thread. If I were asked to describe this book in one sentence, I would say this: “Providence” is one of the kindest books, after reading which you want to live and do something good.

“Some of the people I know go to the other side of the world to do good for people; I try to do what I can for those I love and who are nearby.”

An absolutely charming story about friendship, love, children and the child in each of us. The plot centers on two French bosom friends (who are also single fathers) who are trying to arrange their life in London, exchanging the capital of France for 5 o’clock tea and endless rains and fogs. Everyone will find something of their own in this book: beauty (one of the heroines is a florist), humor (some dialogues are hilarious), the romance of antiquity (part of the action takes place in a library) and, of course, hope. Attention: if you like the book, I highly recommend watching the French film of the same name - it is a real little masterpiece and an ode to joi de vivre - the small joys of everyday life.

“No self-respecting Parisian on the Boulevard Saint-Germain would cross the road on a white zebra crossing when the light is green. A self-respecting Parisian will wait for heavy traffic and rush straight ahead, knowing that she is taking a risk.”

This collection of Gavalda's stories is a real treat. Each character in the book is your acquaintance, whom you will definitely recognize from the first lines. Your best friend, a sales assistant in a clothing store, your sister, neighbor and boss - all of them (with their fears, joys and sorrows) are collected in one small book, to which I personally return again and again. After reading all the stories, you will sort the tiny volume into quotes, advise your friends and (if this is your first acquaintance with the author) read all the other books of Gavalda in one gulp.

“Anna gets into the taxi, I quietly slam the door, she smiles at me from behind the glass, and the car starts moving... In a good movie, I would run after her taxi in the rain, and we would fall into each other’s arms at the nearest traffic light. Or she would suddenly change her mind and beg the driver to stop, like Audrey Hepburn - Holly Golightly in the finale of Breakfast at Tiffany's. But we're not at the cinema. We are in a life where taxis go their own way"

Frederic Beigbeder has two novels that do not irritate me. This is “Una and Salinger” (the story of the great love of the famous writer and future wife of Charlie Chaplin) and, of course, the book “Love Lives for Three Years.” It is written in such a modern, simple and understandable language that it cannot leave anyone indifferent. If you've ever climbed the wall from unrequited feelings, played the same sad song on your iPod in circles, imagined yourself as a movie hero while walking around the city alone, if you've ever fallen in love at first sight, you've been on your way from cheating, wrote “drunk” messages to your former lovers, and if, of course, you are ready to experience all this madness one more time, do not deny yourself the pleasure. In the company of a crazy Beigbeder and a couple of cups of tea, time will definitely fly by!

“My technique worked. This is exactly what I told myself the first time I sat down on the sand to look at the sea. Chance brought me to the right place - it seemed that I was alone in the whole world. I closed my eyes, the sound of the waves rolling onto the shore a few meters from me lulled me to sleep.”

Despite the fact that Agnès's first book did not initially meet with approval from publishers, after a few years the novel became a real bestseller. Having received another refusal for publication, Madame Lugan posted the manuscript on the Internet, and fame instantly fell upon her! What is not motivation for novice bloggers? The plot centers on the story of Parisian Diana, who lost her husband and little daughter in a car accident and gave herself a chance for a new life by leaving France for an Irish village. “Happy people read books and drink coffee” is absolutely not stressful reading, very simple, very cozy, a little naive and in places too romantic. This book is good to take with you to a cafe when you want to quietly drink a cup of espresso or a glass of Bordeaux in silence and solitude.