Frédéric Beigbeder

Frédéric Beigbeder (born September 21 1965) is a French writer, commentator, literary critic and pundit.

Biography

He was born into a privileged family in Neuilly-sur-Seine. His mother, Christine de Chasteigner, is a translator of mawkish novels (Barbara Cartland et al); his father, Jean-Michel Beigbeder, is a headhunter. He studied at the "Lycée Montaigne" and "Louis-le-Grand", and later at "Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Political sciences)", from which he graduated at the age of 24 and began his work as advertising executive, author, broadcaster, publisher, and dilettante.

In 1994, he founded the "Prix de Flore" (which takes its name from the famous and plush "Café de Flore" in Saint-Germain-des-Prés). The prize is awarded annually to a promising young French author. Vincent Ravalec, Jacques A. Bertrand, Michel Houellebecq are among those who have won the prize. In 2004, the tenth anniversary of the prize, it was awarded to the only American to ever receive it, Bruce Benderson. Two of Beigbeder's novels, "99 Francs" and "Windows on the World", are being adapted for the cinema. The film of "Windows on the World" will be directed by the French/English director Max Pugh.

In 2002, he presented the TV talk show "Hypershow" on French channel Canal +, co-presented with Jonathan Lambert, Sabine Crossen and Henda. That year he also advised French Communist Party candidate Robert Hue in the presidential election.

He worked for a few years as a publisher for Flammarion. He left Flammarion in 2006.

In May 2007 he spent time in the United States to shoot a film about the reclusive American author, J.D. Salinger.

Private life

Beigbeder has admitted that many of his novels are broadly autobiographical, and that the character of Octave in both 99 francs and "Au secours, pardon" is in many ways his avatar.

Beigbeder has been linked romantically to actress, Laura Smet (they are now separated). He is divorced and has a daughter, Chloé.

In 2008, he was arrested for sniffing cocaine on the roof of a car in Paris in the 8th Arrondissement. He was also in possession of two grammes of cocaine. He was released that same day. [http://tf1.lci.fr/infos/france/faits-divers/0,,3700238,00-frederic-beigbeder-arrete-possession-cocaine-.html (French)] in public.

Bibliography

Novels

* 1990: "Mémoire d'un jeune homme dérangé (Memoirs of a Deranged Young Man)", La Table Ronde
* 1994: "Vacances dans le coma (Holidays in a Coma)", Grasset
* 1997: "L'amour dure trois ans (Love Lasts Three Years)", Grasset
* 2000: "99 francs" (Retitled "14,99 euro" after the introduction of the euro), Grasset (translated into English as £9.99 by Adriana Hunter)
* 2003: "Windows on the World", Grasset (translated under the same title by Frank Wynne)
* 2005: "L'égoïste romantique (The Romantic Egoist)", Grasset
* 2007: "Au secours pardon", Grasset

Short story

* 1999: "Nouvelles sous ecstasy (Tales On Ecstasy)", Gallimard, Collection L'Infini

Essay

* 2001: "Dernier inventaire avant liquidation", Grasset

Discussions

* 2004: "Je crois Moi non plus : Dialogue entre un évêque et un mécréant" Calmann Levy

Comic books

* 2002: "Rester Normal" Dargaud
* 2004: "Rester Normal à Saint-Tropez" Dargaud

External links

* [http://www.beigbeder.net "S.N.O.B. Site Non Officiel de Frédéric Beigbeder"]
* [http://www.3ammagazine.com/litarchives/2004/oct/dual_entity.html Review of "Windows on the World" (English)]
* [http://www.interviewgeneration.tv/video.php?id=14 Video interview of Frédéric Beidbeger] , about New York and September 11th (in English)

References