Jean Rouaud

Biography

After gaining his arts degree, Jean Rouaud worked in various low-paid jobs. In 1978, he joined ‘Presse Océan’ and was soon writing articles for the newspaper’s front page. He then went to Paris. In 1990, he published his first novel, “Fields of Glory”, a masterpiece for which he soon won the “Goncourt” Prize. Deeply affected by his father’s death on boxing day when he was eleven years old, then by that of his mother in 1997, before she was even able to read the lines that he had dedicated to her in his latest novels, through his works, Jean Rouaud rekindles this decimated family, through simple words and gentle reminders filled with mischief and affection. Since then, he has published around twenty books (translated into 29 languages), written theatre pieces, scripts, song lyrics, produced documentaries, etc. In 2007, he wrote the script for “Moby Dick” a cartoon illustrated by Densi Desprez and 2008 he published “La fiancée juive”. This collection is accompanied by a CD featuring a blues song that he composed and performed himself. In 2009, he published “La Femme Promise” and his latest novel, “Comment gagner sa vie honnêtement” was released in March 2011.