Baroness Fabienne Claire Nothomb (; born 13 August 1967), better known by her pen name Amélie Nothomb (), is a Belgian Francophone novelist. Part of her childhood was spent in Asia.

A prolific author, since the publication of her first novel Hygiene and the Assassin in 1992, at the age of twenty-six, she has published a book a year. Her novels are among the top literary sales and have been translated into several languages. She is a Commander of the Order of the Crown and has had the title of Baroness bestowed upon her by King Philippe of Belgium. Her satirical novel about corporate life in Japan Fear and Trembling won the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française in 1999, and in 2015 she was elected to the Royal Academy of French Language and Literature in Belgium.

Biography

Research shows Amélie Nothomb was born in Etterbeek, Brussels-Capital Region on 9 July 1966. As an artist, she has consistently claimed metaphorically to have been born in Kobe, Japan in 1967 while records show her living there only from ages two to five. She stems from a Belgian noble family. Her father was the Belgian diplomat Patrick Nothomb, and she is the grandniece of Charles-Ferdinand Nothomb, a Belgian foreign minister (1980–1981), and great-granddaughter of writer and politician Pierre Nothomb.

Nothomb's first novel, Hygiène de l'assassin, was published in 1992. Since then, she has published approximately one novel per year, including Les Catilinaires (1995), Fear and Trembling (1999) and Métaphysique des tubes (2000). She has been awarded numerous prizes, including the 1993 Prix Jacques-Chardonne, the 1999 Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française, the Grand prix Jean Giono (2008), and since 2015 has been a member of the Belgium Royal Academy of French language and literature.

She wrote a romanticized biography (The Book of Proper Names) of French female singer Robert in 2002 and during the period 2000–2002 wrote the lyrics for nine tracks by the same artist.

A documentary — Amélie Nothomb: une vie entre deux eaux (a life between two waters) — co-written and directed by Laurelinne Amanieux and Luca Chiari, about Amélie's return to Japan and rediscovery of the beauty of the landscapes, the peaceful rites, the sadness of Fukushima, but especially, the meeting with her Japanese nursemaid, Nishio San was made in 2012.

By a Royal Decree of 8 July 2015, Nothomb was ennobled as a non-hereditary baroness.

Her novel Premier sang depicts the fictional memoirs of her father, who had died in 2020, written in the first person. The book won the Prix Renaudot 2021.

Works

Books

{| class="wikitable" width="650px"

|+

|-

! Published<br/>(in French)

! Type

! Original title

! English title

! English publication details

|-

| 1992

| novel

| '

| Hygiene and the Assassin

| Europa Editions, hardback, 2010

|-

| 1993

| novel

| '

| Loving Sabotage

| W. W. Norton & Co, hardback, 2000, <br/>Faber and Faber, paperback, 2003,

|-

| 1993

| tale

| '<br/>(Longue Vue)

|

|

|-

| 1994

| play

| '

| Human Rites

| Oberon Books, paperback, 2005,

|-

| 1995

| novel

| '

| The Stranger Next Door

| Holt (Henry) & Co, hardback, 1996,

|-

| 1996

| novel

| Péplum

|

|

|-

| 1996

| 14 pages short story

| ' <br/>(Stock)

|

|

|-

| 1996

| short story

| ' <br/>(La Revue Générale)

|

|

|-

| 1997

| novel

| Attentat

|

|

|-

| 1998

| novel

| Mercure

|

|

|-

| 1999

| novel

| '

| Fear and Trembling

| Faber and Faber, paperback, 2002,

|-

| 1999

| 39 pages short story

| '<br/>()

|

|

|-

| 2000

| novel

| '

| The Character of Rain

| Faber and Faber, paperback, 2003,

|-

| 2000

| 3 tales

| '<br/>(La Pierre d'Alun)

|

|

|-

| 2001

|novel

| '

| The Enemy's Cosmetique

|

|-

| 2001

| 2 pages short story

| '

|

|

|-

| 2001

| 64 pages short story

| '<br/>(Elle)

|

|

|-

| 2002

| novel

| '

| The Book of Proper Names

| Faber and Faber, paperback, 2004,

|-

| 2003

| novel

| '

| Antichrista

| Faber and Faber, paperback, 2004,

|-

| 2004

| 46 pages short story

| '<br/>(Elle)

|

|

|-

| 2004

| novel

| '

| The Life of Hunger

| Faber and Faber, hardback, 2006

|-

| 2005

| novel

| '

| Sulphuric Acid

| Faber and Faber, hardback, 2007

|-

| 2006

| novel

| Journal d'Hirondelle

|

|

|-

| 2007

| novel

| '

| Tokyo Fiancée

| Europa Editions, hardback, 2008

|-

| 2007

| short story in 9 episodes

| '

|

|

|-

| 2008

| novel

| '

| The Prince's Act

| Éditions Albin Michel

|-

| 2009

|novel

| '

| The Winter Journey

| Éditions Albin Michel

|-

| 2010

| novel

| '

| Life Form

|Europa Editions, hardback

|-

| 2011

| novel

| '

|

| Éditions Albin Michel

|-

| 2012

| novel

| '

|

| Éditions Albin Michel

|-

| 2013

| novel

| '

|

| Éditions Albin Michel

|-

| 2014

| novel

| '

| Pétronille

| Europa Editions, paperback, 2015

|-

|2015

|novel

|Le Crime du comte Neville

|

|Éditions Albin Michel

|-

|2016

|novel

|Riquet à la houppe

|

|Éditions Albin Michel

|-

|2017

|novel

|Frappe-toi le cœur

|Strike your Heart

|Éditions Albin Michel, Europa Editions

|-

|2018

|novel

|Les prénoms épicènes

|

|Éditions Albin Michel

|-

|2019

|novel

|Soif

| Thirst

|Europa Editions,

|-

|2020

|novel

|Les aérostats

|

|Éditions Albin Michel,

|-

|2021

|novel

|Premier sang

| First Blood

| Europa Editions

|-

|2022

|novel

|Le livre des sœurs

|

|Éditions Albin Michel

|-

|2023

|novel

|'

|

|Éditions Albin Michel,

|-

|2024

|novel

|L'impossible retour

|

|Éditions Albin Michel,

|-

|2025

|novel

|Tant mieux

|

|Éditions Albin Michel,

|}

Unless otherwise stated, all works were originally published in French by Éditions Albin Michel.

Adaptations

Film adaptations

  • 1999: Hygiène de l'assassin (Hygiene and the Assassin), French movie directed by François Ruggieri, with Jean Yanne (Prétextat Tach) and Barbara Schulz (Nina).
  • 2003: Stupeur et tremblements (Fear and Trembling), French movie directed by Alain Corneau with Sylvie Testud (Amélie) and Kaori Tsuji (Fubuki).
  • 2014: Tokyo Fiancée, Belgian movie directed by Stefan Liberski with Pauline Etienne (Amélie) and Taichi Inoue (Rinri)
  • 2021: A Perfect Enemy (adaptation of the novel, Cosmétique de l'ennemi), French movie directed by Kike Maíllo.
  • 2025: Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, French animated film directed by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han

Stage adaptations

  • Le sabotage amoureux (English: Loving sabotage), Theater Le Ranelagh, Paris, 1999

With Valérie Mairesse, Pétronille de Saint-Rapt, Vanessa Jarry

Direction: Annabelle Milot

  • Le sabotage amoureux (Loving Sabotage), Theater Daniel-Sorano, Vincennes, 2003–2005

With Pauline Foschia, Jeanne Gougeau, Laurence Vielle

Adaptation et direction: Brigitte Bailleux, Laurence Vielle

  • Cosmétique de l'ennemi (The Enemy's Cosmetique), "La Compagnie des Sept Lieux", Suisse, 2003–2008

With John Durand and Olivier Renault

Adaptation and direction: Emmanuel Samatani and Jean-Daniel Uldry

  • Les combustibles (Human Rites), Theater Daniel-Sorano, Vincennes, March – April 2008

With Michel Boy, Julie Turin, Grégory Gerrebo

Direction: Stéphane Cottin

  • Métaphysique des tubes (The Character of Rain), 2007–2009

With Cécile Schletzer and Claire Rieussec

Direction: Claire Rieussec

  • Hygiène de l'assassin (Hygiene and the Assassin), Theater of Namur and Theater "le Public", Bruxelles, September – October 2008

With Daniel Hanssens, Nathalie Cornet, Valérie Marchand and Vincent Lécuyer

Direction: Pierre Santini

  • Biographie de la Faim (The Life of Hunger), Theater of "La Place des Martyrs", Bruxelles, April – May 2009

With Nathalie Cornet, Michel Hinderyckx, Jessica Gazon, Stéphanie Blanchoud...

Adaptation and direction: Christine Delmotte

  • Les Combustibles (Human Rites), Theater of Nesle, Paris, 16 September 2010 – 2 October 2010

With Philippe Doré, Freddy Zimmer, Florine Moreau

Direction: Hubert Vinzani

  • Stupeur et Tremblements (Fear and Trembling), Theater "Le Petit Hébértot", Paris, 18 March 2011 – 22 May 2011

With Layla Metssitane

Adaptation and direction: Layla Metssitane

Audio books

Eight of Amélie Nothomb's novels were adapted in the form of audio books, the first four were published by the editions "VDB", the others by "Audiolib" :

  • Robert des noms propres (=The Book of Proper Names): Amélie Nothomb (author) and Véronique Groux de Miéri (narrator), La Roque-sur-Pernes, "Éditions VDB", 1 March 2003 () (Note BNF (FRENCH NATIONAL LIBRARY) no FRBNF39186856q).

Support: 3 audio CD (lasted: 3:15 am min, complete text), ref. V.D.B. 008.

  • Antéchrista (=Antichrista): Amélie Nothomb (author) and Véronique Groux de Miéri (narrator), La Roque-sur-Pernes, "Éditions VDB", 1 March 2004 () (Note BNF (FRENCH NATIONAL LIBRARY) no FRBNF412025642).

Support: 3 audio CD (lasted: 2:52 am min, complete text), ref. V.D.B. 033. Musical illustration: Thierry Duhamel.

  • Biographie de la faim (=The life of hunger): Amélie Nothomb (author) and Véronique Groux de Miéri (narrator), La Roque-sur-Pernes, "Éditions VDB", 1 March 2005 () (Note BNF (FRENCH NATIONAL LIBRARY) no FRBNF40227909h).

Support: 4 audio CD (lasted: 4:17 am min, complete text), ref. V.D.B. 074. Musical illustration: Thierry Duhamel.

  • Acide sulfurique (=Sulphuric acid): Amélie Nothomb (author) and Véronique Groux de Miéri (narrator), La Roque-sur-Pernes, "Éditions VDB", 1 March 2006 () (Note BNF (FRENCH NATIONAL LIBRARY) no FRBNF40227903f).

Support: 3 audio CD (lasted: 5:39 am min, complete text), ref. V.D.B. 104. Musical illustration: Thierry Duhamel.

  • Ni d'Eve, ni d'Adam (=Tokyo Fiancée): Amélie Nothomb (author) and Sylvie Testud (narrator), Paris, "Audiolib", 13 February 2008 () (Note BNF (FRENCH NATIONAL LIBRARY) no FRBNF412025642).

Support: 1 audio CD (lasted: 3:50 am min, complete text), ref. Audiolib 25 0012 02.

  • Le fait du prince (=The prince's act): Amélie Nothomb (author) and Patrick Waleffe (narrator), Paris, "Audiolib", 21 January 2009 () (Note BNF (FRENCH NATIONAL LIBRARY) no FRBNF414068348).

Support: 1 audio CD (lasted: 3:00 am min, complete text), ref. Audiolib 25 0049 4.

  • Le voyage d'hiver (=The winter journey): Amélie Nothomb (author) and Thibault de Montalembert (narrator), Paris, "Audiolib", 9 September 2009 () (Note BNF (FRENCH NATIONAL LIBRARY) no FRBNF42044512x).

Support: 2 audio CD (lasted: 1:54 am min, complete text), ref. Audiolib 25 0129 4.

  • Une forme de vie (=A form of life): Amélie Nothomb (author) and Frédéric Meaux (narrator), Paris, "Audiolib", 13 October 2010 () (Note BNF (FRENCH NATIONAL LIBRARY) no FRBNF42285807k).

Support: 1 audio CD (lasted: 2:42 am min, complete text), ref. Audiolib 25 281 3.

Bibliography

  • Susan Bainbrigge and Jeanette Den Toonder, Amélie Nothomb, Authorship, Identity and Narrative Practice, Peter Lang, 2003.
  • (fr) Frédérique Chevillot, Amélie Nothomb : L'Invitation à la lecture. Women in French Studies, 2012, vol. 2012, no 1, .
  • Mary Jane Cowles, Close Encounters of the Abject Kind: The Intercultural Female Body in Amélie Nothomb's Japan.
  • Amaleena Damlé, Making A Body without Organs: Amélie Nothomb's An-Organic Flux of Immanence, .
  • (fr) Yolande Helm, Amélie Nothomb : une écriture alimentée à la source de l'orphisme. Religiologiques, Orphée et Eurydice : mythes en mutation, 1997, vol. 15, .
  • Anna Kemp, The Child as Artist in Amélie Nothomb's Robert des noms propres. French studies, 2012, vol. 66, no 1, pp.&nbsp;54–67.
  • Mark D. Lee, Les identités d'Amélie Nothomb : de l'invention médiatique aux fantasmes originaires, éd. Rodopi, 2010.
  • (fr) Andrea Oberhuber, Réécrire à l'ère du soupçon insidieux : Amélie Nothomb et le récit postmoderne. Études françaises, 2004, vol. 40, no 1, .
  • Scott M Powers, Evil in Contemporary French and Francophone Literature, 2014.

References

  • Amélie Nothomb website
  • The guardian interview of Amélie Nothomb, Richard Lea
  • Interview Threepercent Rochester edu.
  • The Complete review, Amélie Nothomb
  • amelienothomb.com , an Italian website & forum at Voland edizioni