Who is Anna Gavalda? Blog archive "IN! Circle of Books" Anna Gavalda autobiography.

Anna Gavaldá was born on December 9, 1970 in the French city of Boulogne-Bélancourt. It is curious that her great-grandmother, a native of St. Petersburg, had a surname that sounded like “Fulda,” but it changed under the influence of the pronunciation of French officials. From childhood, Anna was a terrible inventor, which did not prevent her from doing well at school. Most of all, she loved to write essays, and the teacher read almost all of her works to the class as an example. Anna was fourteen years old when her parents divorced, and the girl had to live and study in a boarding school.

Anna Gavalda continued her education at the Sorbonne and worked a lot during her student years - as a waitress, cashier and journalist. She had to work so that every day she would have breakfast and, preferably, dinner, and the girl did not at all think then that the experience and impressions she gained would be useful to her later for writing the books that became famous. She also took part in competitions. In 1992, Anna took first place in the French competition “Best Love Letter”. This competition was held by a famous national radio station, and Anna Gavalda, with her short letter of some ten lines, had no idea that she would become the first among thousands of applicants. The letter was written on behalf of a young man, which greatly surprised the jury - the girl understood so deeply and highlighted the psychology of the opposite sex.

Anna was unable to pass the final exams at the Sorbonne, and therefore, instead of working as a journalist, she took up another job - teaching French to first-graders in one of the colleges. In the mid-nineties, Anna Gavalda got married, but she doesn’t like to remember this - a few years later her husband left her, leaving two children as his memories - son Louis (born in 1996) and daughter Felicite (born in 1999). On the other hand, perhaps it was precisely her feelings about her broken family that prompted Anna to pursue serious literary work. In her free time, she made up various stories and then began writing them down. This is exactly how her first book, consisting of short stories, turned out. True, without yet classifying herself as a writer, Anna Gavalda became a very noticeable French author, especially since in 1998 she won three literary competitions at once and received the very prestigious French literary prize “Blood in the Inkwell” for her short story “Aristote” .

A collection of short stories by Anna Gavalda “I would like someone to wait for me somewhere” was published in 1999 and the book was received extremely warmly by critics, and already in the next year, 2000, it received the RTL Grand Prix. As for the general public, in the very first weeks of sales, France was captivated by the talent of the young writer. This success is also surprising because the short story genre has ceased to be fashionable, and Anna Gavalda literally revived interest in modern short stories. Over the next four years, the book was translated into thirty languages, which quite adequately reflects the attitude towards the bright new star of French literature.

Anna Gavalda's first novel was published in 2002. A book called “I Loved Him” was swept off store shelves, but this turned out to be only the beginning of real success. Two years later, Anna Gavalda published the novel Just Together, and its popularity in France eclipsed the famous Da Vinci Code, and according to readers, the novel had no equal among literary works of recent years. This book by Gavalda received many literary awards and raised interest in the writer’s previous work. All three of her books were reprinted in unprecedented quantities, well over a million copies, and the last one sold two million copies. The financial result was also pleasant - Anna Gavalda earned thirty-two million euros with her books.

Naturally, cinema became interested in the writer’s work. In the spring of 2007, director Claude Berri released the film “Simply Together” on the big screen in France. This film starred such “whales” of cinema as Guillaume Cannet and Audrey Tautou. Film critics responded with great enthusiasm to the film, and the opinion of viewers can be assessed by the fact that in just one month of release, “Just Together” was watched by more than two million people. The Sixth International Forum of Literature and Cinema, held in Monaco, also appreciated the director's work in this film - Claude Berri was awarded the prize for the best and accurate adaptation of the novel into cinema.

Two years later, in 2009, based on the novel by Anna Gavalda “I loved her. I loved him,” director Isabelle Brightman created a film version starring Daniel Auteuil. The work of Anna Gavalda has generally become in demand in French cinema. In 2010, the film “35 Kilos of Hope” appeared on television screens, based on the writer’s book written in 2002 for teenagers. In this book, Anna Gavalde managed not only to penetrate into the complex children's world, but also to find the points that actually determine the future fate of children.

Anna’s next novels, “A Consolation Game of Petanque” and “A Sip of Freedom,” became no less famous in the world. The writer is also known in Russia - her novels have been translated into Russian. Anna Gavalda visited our country several times and even says in an interview that in her old age she would like to work in the Hermitage. She claims that she does not like her popularity, because fame is very harmful to creativity - after all, it is very difficult to observe people, being famous. Anna doesn’t even put her photographs in books and rarely appears on television, which is why she is not recognized on the streets too often.

Anna Gavalda currently lives in Melen, raises children and writes stories and articles for Elle magazine. The children are not yet planning to follow in the footsteps of their mother - Louis is passionate about botany, and Felicite dreams of the career of Coco Chanel.

Because of her ironic, elegant and very realistic books, this Frenchwoman is called “the new Françoise Sagan,” and her books are a true pleasure for true connoisseurs of French charm and good literature.

On library subscription No. 32 named after. M. Gorky organized a book exhibition “Star of French Literature”, dedicated to the work of Anna Gavalda. The exhibition presents books from the stock of our library,” says Lyudmila Vasilievna Davydova, head of the M. Gorky library’s subscription.

Anna Gavalda is a famous French writer who has conquered the whole world with her work. Her books have been translated into 36 languages ​​and are published in millions of copies.

Literary critics call her “the star of French literature” and predict the glory of Françoise Sagan.

However, Anna Gavalda does not like her popularity, because she believes that fame is very harmful to creativity - after all, it is very difficult to observe people, being famous. That's why she doesn't put her photographs in books, rarely appears on television, and is rarely recognized on the street.

What can a young, elegant, French-charming woman ask about? Of course, about love, friendship, family and family relationships, in general, about life in all its manifestations.

In her novels, she creates a world that seems simple and understandable to every person, regardless of where he was born and lives.

The books are easy to read, as they say, in one breath. And the secret, perhaps, also lies in the fact that writing gives great pleasure to the author himself. The writer spoke about this several times in her interviews. A book written with love evokes a response from its readers.

Like all children, she studied at school; after her parents’ divorce, she lived and studied in a boarding house; her student years were spent at the Sorbonne.

Before becoming a professional writer, she worked as a waitress, cashier, journalist, and taught French.

I didn’t think about a writing career, but I loved writing since childhood. Her school essays were always the best.

In 1992, Anna took part in the “Best Love Letter” competition, which was held in France by one of the famous radio stations. Unexpectedly, she became the winner. The competition jury not only liked the text of the letter, but was also quite surprised by the fact that it was written by a young girl on behalf of a man.

In the mid-nineties, Anna Gavalda got married, but the marriage was unsuccessful. A few years later, the couple divorced, and since then Anna Gavalda has been raising her son Louis and daughter Felicite alone. This fact of the writer’s biography is important because it was from this moment that she began to seriously engage in creativity. While experiencing the situation, she made up various stories and then began to write them down. This is exactly how her first book, “I would like someone to wait for me somewhere,” consisting of short stories, turned out. Publishing the first book turned out to be very difficult. The author sent the book manuscript to several publishing houses. Almost everyone refused to publish it, citing the fact that “they don’t read stories and don’t buy them.” But they still took a chance on one thing and made the right decision. The entire circulation of the book, published in 1999, was sold out. Thus, readers proved that it is not so much the genre of a work that is important, but its content and the talent of the author. The book was also appreciated by critics, and readers remembered the new name. Anna Gavalda’s first novel “I loved her. I Loved Him,” published in 2002, immediately became a bestseller. In the same year, the book “35 kilos of hope”, addressed to children, was published.

But Anna Gavalda gained real fame as a novelist after the release of the novel “Just Together” in 2005. The success was amazing. 2 million copies of the book were sold among readers. The novel was awarded several literary awards.

Luck did not go to the head of the young author. Every time she starts a new book, Anna Gavalda feels like a debutante and is not sure that the next book will be as successful as the previous one. However, for now, her worries seem unfounded. All subsequent novels - “A consolation game of petanque” (2008), “A breath of freedom” (2010), “Billy” (2013), “Ian” (2014), “Matilda” (2015) became no less popular and famous in world.

Her books seem simple and light, but they are catchy and will not be forgotten for a long time. Perhaps this simplicity is achieved by the subtle and smallest details that Anna knows how to notice.

Each novel teaches the reader to discover the best facets of his soul, not to be afraid to be honest with himself, never to lose hope and to love this world, no matter what.

The plots of novels, as a rule, are simple and uncomplicated and, according to the author, are pure fiction. “I have never met prototypes of my heroes in my life. Of course, I draw inspiration from some people, meetings, but then it all gets mixed up. When creating heroes, I often catch myself thinking that I would like to meet these people in my life so that they would be my friends, but they don’t exist,” says A. Gavalda. When inventing the world in which her characters live, the writer never knows what the ending will be. It's like in life when you don't know what will happen the next day. “You could say that I write books to find out the ending.”

The works of A. Gavalda turned out to be interesting not only to readers, but also to filmmakers. Her three novels are “Just Together”, “I Loved Her. I loved him" and "35 kilos of hope" were very successfully filmed.

It turns out that Anna Gavalda and Russian readers are of mutual interest.

“I would like someone to wait for me somewhere...”

Every person's life is made of moments. Some pass without leaving a trace in memory, others can radically change it. You never know how everything will turn out and why sometimes some trifle suddenly takes on the scale of a catastrophe. 12 stories will tell about such events. You will read about the tragedy of a mother who lost her child even before birth, and about an unexpected meeting of a man and a woman on the street, a funny story about an expensive car, a wild boar and two young drunken guys. And everything is written simply, easily, unpretentiously, with humor.

“I loved her. I loved him"

Everyone wants to love and be loved. But how to maintain this feeling for many years? Chloe's husband, Adrian, leaves for someone else. The young woman is at a loss, she doesn’t know what to do or how to live next. The story is as old as time. But everyone lives it in their own way. Adrian's father, Pierre, takes Chloe and her two daughters to a country house. There he tells her the story of his love, which he kept secret for 20 years.

A book about love, fidelity, difficult family relationships.

"Just together"

A young talented artist, but strange in the eyes of others, Camilla, who is also forced to work as a cleaner, meets her neighbor. The stuttering, clumsy Philibert is a descendant of an old family, an expert on history, an eccentric with a rich inner world. After some time, due to certain circumstances, she moves into his apartment, where she finds not only shelter, but also warmth. Frank also lives there - a rude, simple guy, a chef from God, with whom the relationship does not work out at first, but then a deep affection arises between Camilla and Frank.

Three very lonely people, who are not very lucky with either their family or their character, help each other and find harmony and interest in life. Through quarrels and reconciliations, disputes and agreement, staying together, they become stronger, kinder, more understandable to each other and those around them.

"35 kilos of hope"

Anna Gavalda's stories and novels evoke a range of emotions, from delight to rejection. As readers note, in the books of the French woman, the characters “do not dwell on feelings, do not shout about them,” but every page is permeated with love and family warmth. Comparison with famous countrymen Michel Houellebecq is also flattering for the writer, but, as Anna said in an interview, she “does something completely different.”

Childhood and youth

Anna Gavalda has Russian roots. The writer's great-grandfather, a jeweler by profession, lived in St. Petersburg. After the October Revolution, when private craftsmen working with jewelry were left without work, he went abroad. Subsequent generations of the family grew up in France, but retained the presence of Russian culture.

Anna was born in December 1970, west of Paris, in the commune of Boulogne-Billancourt. The first attempt at writing, in fact, were school essays, which teachers, admiring the colorful language and style of presentation, read aloud to Gavald’s classmates as a reward for exemplary behavior.

Anna's parents divorced when their daughter was a teenager. Part of the girl’s biography fell on her aunt’s family, in which 13 children were raised. Then Anna, her sister and 2 brothers were added to them. And the press calls this entire large company a boarding house, which greatly surprises the writer. Large families, according to Gavald, are the norm for the traditional Catholic way of life.

Anna's love for writing led her to the Sorbonne University, at the Faculty of Modern Language and Literature. Although at first the girl chose natural science and wrote her first story during the entrance exams.

The future writer gained life experience by working as a cashier and waitress. Such a school, as Gavald admits, is very useful: for those who have nothing to remember, the books turn out to be boring. After finishing her studies, Anna got a job at a college teaching French.

Literature

Anna received her first recognition of her talent at the age of 17, when she won a competition for the best love letter. The reward - a trip to Venice - had to be given to the owner of the rented apartment as payment for the stay. Then there were several more successful competitions. And finally Gavalda decided to publish the works that readers liked so much.

Often, the impetus for creativity is some bright event in life, with a positive or negative connotation. For Anna it was a divorce from her husband. The woman was having a hard time with the breakup and hid her own behind other people’s thoughts and actions. As a result, the short stories “Permission”, “Junior”, “This Man and This Woman”, “Catgut” and others were born, combined into the collection “I would like someone to wait for me somewhere...”.

After a long search for publishers, the work of an unknown author was published by a publishing house with the significant name “Dilettant”. In 2000, the readers' jury awarded Anna the Grand prix RTL-Lire award for the book, but that was only the beginning.

Interest in the half-forgotten genre of short stories flared up with renewed vigor when the later published novels “Just Together” and “I Loved Her” disappeared from store shelves. I loved him." The total circulation of bestsellers exceeded 5 million copies and brought Gavalda over € 30 million.

The writer’s work found a response in the hearts of filmmakers. In 2007, Claude Berri directed the film adaptation of Just Together. She starred in the film. The director's film version of “I Loved Him” was offered to Zabu Brightman in 2009. Anna herself refrained from assessing the cinematic works, saying only that “these are different feelings, a different story.”

In 2002, the book “35 kilos of hope” was published, which in France was positioned as a children's book. Gavalda admitted that she wrote it in memory of a student whom she underestimated when she was still working at school. However, he advises adults who have forgotten the dreams of childhood and youth to read the work. A film was also made based on the novel.

The novel “A Consolation Game of Pétanque” is plot-related with the author’s close people, but has nothing to do with them personally. Anna's brother often came to Russia for work. And the main character of the book is a French architect who is leading a project in Moscow. The news of the death of a friend’s mother, with whom the man was once in love, bursts into his established, long-established life.

“A Breath of Freedom” reminds readers of the atmosphere of their home, of blood ties and the love of dear people. The heroes of the story are a brother and 2 sisters who do not get along with each other. A trip together brings members of the same family together and provides a chance to have a heart-to-heart talk.

The character in Matilda, who bears the same name, is a girl who amazes the reader with her selfish and sometimes inappropriate actions. Only a chance meeting pulls the heroine out of the seemingly prosperous world of promiscuity and alcohol. The main idea of ​​the novel is that while waiting for an illusory prince, you can miss out on happiness by not seeing the kind heart behind your own pride in someone who is simply nearby.

Personal life

Anna has been divorced for a long time, she doesn’t like to talk about her ex-husband, but she maintains communication. In addition, the children - son Louis and daughter Felicite - spend a month a year with their father. Nothing changed in her personal life even after world fame came to the writer. Gavalda even jokes that everything has only gotten worse.

Anna's family lives in a Parisian suburb, in their own house. There are many animals on the farm, which, according to the woman, make existence alive and simply create an atmosphere. Gavalda considers herself a happy person because, by and large, she does what she wants. There is no need to jostle in transport or argue with the authorities. On the other side,

“I’m ready to give a lot to have colleagues with whom I can argue, drink coffee, chat, and not think about certain things.”

Anna finds her writing inspiration in a constant feeling of depression, personal imperfection and the shortcomings of the world around her.

The woman looks younger than her age. The writer claims that she is not interested in sports and does not control her diet. He loves to swim, and since this activity is tedious and boring, all sorts of thoughts come into his head, from which the next work grows.

Anna Gavalda now

Anna Gavalda’s latest book today is a collection of short stories “I Confess,” which was published in the summer of 2017. The Russian-language edition was published in 2018. The book became a long-awaited gift for the reading community, as the author returned to the most beloved short genre, which is “much more expensive than novels.” In stories, Anna admitted, it is more difficult to deceive; the writer’s talent appears more clearly in them. In addition, there is no long backstory; the reader immediately gets into the thick of things.

7 stories are written on behalf of 7 people in a very lively, not stilted style mixed with jargon. The topics touched upon by the writer are very diverse. This is a woman’s search for her place in a relationship with a man, including intimate ones, about how time flows irretrievably and how to survive loss. Anna also resorts to her favorite method - speaking on behalf of a man.

Life has not spared each of the heroes, they are experiencing pain and loneliness, they are tired of pretending that everything is fine. The strings of the soul are so stretched that they force them to be frank with the first person they meet, because, as it seems to them, the tension will ease and there will be, if not hope, then at least strength for a new day.

Now Gavalda is writing another novel and at the same time a film script. The writer said that she mentally constantly conducts a dialogue with the heroine not as a literary character, but with a living person. In terms of content, it will be a story about a woman who is surrounded only by men in her life. And Anna, as an author, wonders what is feminine left in the main character.

Bibliography

• 1999 - “I would like someone to wait for me somewhere...”
• 2002 – “35 kilos of hope”
• 2003 – “I loved her. I loved him"
• 2004 – “Just Together”
• 2008 – “Consolation game of petanque”
• 2010 – “A breath of freedom”
• 2012 – “Life Stories”
• 2013 – “Billy”
• 2014 – “Yan”
• 2014 – “Matilda”
• 2017 – “I confess”

Quotes

“I write because I was created for this. God created me this way, and I try.”

“When I see a woman reading Dan Brown on the subway, I treat her with much more respect than the “intellectual” sitting next to me who is playing with a computer toy.”

“Any creative person is not a very balanced person. Because a balanced person lives his life instead of inventing it. You only write when something bothers you.”

“The most difficult thing is to write the first phrase. Then everything goes by itself and my characters become my friends.”

The writer's books have captivated millions of readers around the world.

They are translated into dozens of languages, they receive prestigious awards, and performances and films are created based on them.

Tough, humorous, piercing and funny stories about the most ordinary life, behind the outer inconspicuousness of which lie countless treasures of deep fears, hidden desires, dreams and grievances, and most importantly - love in all its manifestations.

35 kilos of hope (2002)

“35 kilos of hope” is a poetic parable that tells about something important:

- about choosing your path in life
- about the power of love and loyalty.
- about relatives.
- about how dreams and desires come true. You just need to passionately desire something.

Trying to solve his “childhood” problems, the young hero is looking for a way out - and discovers it, and so masterfully that there is something to learn from him...

I loved her. I loved him (2003)

We present to your attention another novel by the famous writer - “I loved her. I loved him."

This is a touching and sincere book about love, which will reveal to readers the sharpest and hidden facets of this beautiful and incredible feeling.

Just Together (2004)

Anna Gavalda's books are popular with women.

They attract audiences with their openness, sincerity and optimism.

The book “Just Together” is a philosophical and bright novel about love and loneliness, about fate, about joy. This amazing story, telling in simple words about the main thing, became the basis for the film of the same name by Claude Berri with Audrey Tautou in the title role (2007).

Consolation game of petanque (2008)

Charles Balanda is an architect whose business is going well.

Everything is fine in his personal life too - he lives in the French capital with his beloved woman - the beautiful Laurence - and her daughter Matilda.

Charles loves his job and is gradually building the life he has always dreamed of. In general, everything is stable for him, and there are usually no surprises at this age. But one day he receives a letter that will shock him. It refers to the past, which the main character has not remembered for a long time...

A breath of freedom (2010)

“A Breath of Freedom” is a story about a fun weekend.

About the time spent by his brother with his beloved sisters, about their unexpected escape from a family holiday, about a visit to the castle to visit his younger brother Vincent, about the adventures of the “magnificent four”, about delicious wines, about mutual understanding, about happiness, about work, about love .

Anna Gavalda is considered one of the most popular writers in the world. It is not for nothing that she is considered the “star of French literature” and the “new Francoise Sagan.”

Life Stories (collection) (2012)

“Life Stories” are the 3 earliest books by Anna Gavalda, with which she began her path to success.

Novel “I loved her. I Loved Him” will make you think about the choice between grim duty and painful honesty.

The collection “I would like someone to wait for me somewhere...” will show all sides of the writer’s talent.

And the novel “A Breath of Freedom” reflects a very important theme: any meeting happens for a reason and any day can change your destiny forever.

Billy (2013)

At the center of the story are two teenagers who were not born in the most prosperous town. A bright future could hardly await them here. Billie lived in a poor and drinking family, and Frank was a constant object of ridicule because of his characteristics.

But literally in an instant, by the will of lot, they got the opportunity to learn together a scene from Alfred de Musset’s play “No joke is made with love.”

And now an amazing story of one great love has begun, thanks to which 2 ugly ducklings, joining forces and tirelessly reminding each other that they are both beautiful, grow up and turn into beautiful swans.

Just People: Billy. Jan. Matilda (2013)

Three heroes - Matilda, Billy and Ian - are at a crossroads.

To get out of the vegetation they are in, they need to decide on something more.

3 adventures, the result of which is unknown. Any adventure starts small - and life can change in an instant...

Yang (2014)

The main character is Ian, a 26-year-old designer who desperately dreams of finding a job in his specialty. But he is unlucky and, waiting for better things, he has to work as a manager in a household appliances store.

Despite his very prosperous life, he sometimes has thoughts of drowning himself in the Seine...

One evening he agrees to help his neighbors lift a buffet up to their apartment. As a token of gratitude, he is invited to dinner. The next day, Ian decides to send everything to hell and open a new page in his life...

Matilda (2014)

The main character, Matilda, is still young and youthful.

Having quit her studies, she gets a job, but at the same time she has to live with her twin sisters.

She thinks she is happy, but at the same time she constantly drinks alcohol.

One evening she loses her purse in a cafe. Fortunately, she is found by a young guy who decides to return the item to the owner a week later. And after several months - precisely because of him - the main character decides to change everything in her life.

She prefers to remain in the shadows. And he rarely communicates with journalists. After all, everything she wanted or wants to say is in her books.

Do you want to know what Gavalda is thinking about?

Read her books.

If you want to know who Gavalda is and what she is like, read her books. After all, every book of a writer is a piece of himself, his worldview, thoughts, actions. In a word, books about their author have everything...

She is, of course, not the “new Sagan,” as literary critics sometimes call her. She is Anna Gavalda. A very original writer, whose books are interesting to read, because they depict our everyday life in all its diversity with joys, hopes and disappointments.

Anna Gavalda, like many prominent people of the West, has Russian roots. Her maternal great-grandmother was a native of St. Petersburg who emigrated to France. Therefore, Anna was born in Paris, into a wealthy family, and did not know grief until she was 14 years old. And then her parents divorced, and Anna was sent—whether it was good or bad is debatable—to be raised in a private boarding school. The girl turned out to be a character, she endured separation from her parents stoically and after graduating from boarding school she entered the world's largest university center - the Sorbonne. There, in 1992, in one of the literary competitions for the best love letter, being a 22-year-old student, working part-time as a waitress and cashier, she completely unconditionally won, leaving all the other contestants far behind.

No, she did not immediately believe in her literary calling. At first, she began working as a French teacher in a high school, writing stories and novellas. They were about life, about love, about human relationships in general. In 1988, she decided to publish the short story “Aristote” and won the “Blood in the Inkwell” literary award. And then she took 12 of her short stories to the publishing house, not at all counting on world fame.

This collection of short stories, entitled “I would like someone to wait for me somewhere...”, was published in 1999 and created a real sensation in France. And by 2003 it had already been translated into almost 30 languages ​​of the world. Success inspired her, and Anna published her first novel “I loved her” in 2002. I loved him,” a sad story about love, behind the external simplicity of which lies deep reflections on the facets of this mysterious, happy and painful feeling.

The next novel, “Just Together,” was both funny and sad about the lives of four dissimilar people who ended up in the same apartment. It became an undoubted bestseller, was translated into 36 languages ​​and filmed. As a result, the first three books by Anna Gavalda were sold with a total circulation of more than 5 million. copies and brought the author 32 million euros and kopecks.

She now lives in the small town of Medyun, near Paris, with only about 38 thousand inhabitants, raising two children and continuing to write novels. “A Sip of Freedom” and “A Consolation Game of Pétanque” have already appeared in Russian translation.

Our readers relate to the works of Anna Gavalda differently. Some people consider them superficial and similar to the novels of our writer Ulitskaya. Some people classify them as books “for an amateur.” And someone considers the same collection of short stories to be pearls of prose, amazing and touching. Of course, in order to form your opinion about the short stories and novels of Anna Gavalda, you need to read them. And it's worth reading them...