Author Biography | Interview | Books by this Author | Read-Alikes
How to pronounce Muriel Barbery: Muri-EL
The Elegance of the Hedgehog is Muriel Barbery's second novel. It has sold over 1.2 million copies in its native France and spent almost two years on the bestseller lists. It has enjoyed similar success in Italy, Spain, Germany, and many other countries.
Muriel Barbery currently lives in Japan with her husband. Her first book, Une gourmandise, has been translated into twelve languages. It was published by Europa Editions in 2009.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog is translated by Alison Anderson, author of two books Hidden Latitudes and Darwin's Wink. For Europa Editions she has translated two novels by Sélim Nassib and The Elegance of the Hedgehog. She lives near Lausanne, Switzerland.
This bio was last updated on 08/14/2017. In a perfect world, we would like to keep all of BookBrowse's biographies up to date, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's simply impossible to do. So, if the date of this bio is not recent, you may wish to do an internet search for a more current source, such as the author's website or social media presence. If you are the author or publisher and would like us to update this biography, send the complete text and we will replace the old with the new.
Before becoming a literary sensation in 2007, Barbery had published Une
gourmandise (to be published in 2009 by Europa Editions), a novel that was
awarded the Bacchus-Bsn Prize. But then “He” arrived in all his reserved and
entertaining elegance, the Hedgehog. In other words, then came that jewel of a
book that swept aside every other bestseller in France, reaching sales of over a
million copies thanks to its readers' word-of-mouth publicity and its having
been awarded an array of prizes. The author of this masterpiece, Muriel Barbery,
is thirty-nine years old, currently resident in Japan.
What sensations does being the publishing sensation of the year provoke?
Surprise, incredulity and joy! When the book was first published in France, in
September 2006, I thought that nobody would read it and I was readying myself
for some other pursuit, in addition to teaching. The fact that the book
corresponded to the tastes of readers, and that it has crossed the borders into
other countries, surprises me. I still cannot completely explain to myself what
happened. I am, also, incredibly happy about this unexpected fate. This success
has allowed me to realize some of my dreams, to live in Japan and to ...
Niccolò Ammaniti was born in Rome in 1966. He is the author of three novels, as well as a collection of short stories. At thirty-four, he was the youngest ever winner of the prestigious Viareggio-Repaci prize for I'm Not... (more)
If you enjoyed:
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Try:
I'm Not Scared
by Niccolò Ammaniti
Chloe Aridjis was born in New York and grew up in the Netherlands and Mexico. She received her PhD in nineteenth-century French poetry and magic shows from Oxford, then lived in Berlin for five years. Her first novel, Book of... (more)
If you enjoyed:
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Try:
Asunder
by Chloe Aridjis
We recommend 11 similar authors
The Last Russian Doll
by Kristen Loesch
A haunting epic of betrayal, revenge, and redemption following three generations of Russian women.
The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
by Colleen Oakley
A “wildly surprising, entertaining ride of a novel.”
—Jodi Picoult
Last House Before the Mountain by Monika Helfer
A spellbinding, internationally bestselling family saga set in a fractured rural village in WWI Austria.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
