Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, this year's Nobel Prize winner in literature, is no stranger to awards. Having won his first literary prize at the age of 23 with the publication of his first novel (Le procès-verbal), he's been on path of success ever since.
Le Clézio's Background
Born in Nice to French parents in 1940, Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio didn't discover his love for reading until he was eight years old. During a month-long trip from France to Nigeria, the young Le Clézio read two books which sparked his literary passion: Un long voyage and Oradi noir. This life-experience is the basis to his partial autobiographical novel, Onitsha. It is also interesting to note that he is bilingual, speaking and reading in both French and English.
Le Clézio's Literary Career
In an interview for Nobelprize.org, Le Clézio refers to writing as "one of [his] greatest pleasures in life." His writing frequently seems to reflect a sense of curiosity about other cultures and his life-long travels (he has lived in France, Mexico, Bangkok and the U.S.). The Academy which awards the Nobel Prize, called him “a traveler, a citizen of the world, a nomad.”
Though he may not be well known in the U.S., Le Clézio is an important literary figure throughout Europe. At the time of his award, Le Clézio has written over 40 novels, essays and children's books. Popular thematic elements of his work include cultural topics, exile, self-discovery and globalization.
2008 Nobel Prize in Literature
When the award for the 2008 Nobel Prize in Literature was announced, the Academy referred to Le Clézio as the “author of new departures, poetic adventure and sensual ecstasy, explorer of a humanity beyond and below the reigning civilization.”
After being presented with the award, he was asked if there was a message he wanted to share, to which Le Clézio answered, “I think we have to continue to read novels. Because I think that the novel is a very good means to question the current world without having an answer that is too schematic, too automatic. The novelist ... [is] someone who writes, above all, and through the novel asks questions.”
An interesting statement considering the controversy that surrounded this year's prize. When the finalists were announced last month, Horace Engdahl, an Academy official, boldly criticized American authors as being "too isolated, too insular" and further referring to European countries as “the center of the literary world.” His comments attracted the attention of American authors and the general literary community as a whole, sparking plenty of editorials and bringing much attention to this year's prize.
Le Clézio will be formally presented with the award, along with this year's other Nobel Prize winners, on December 10 in Stockholm, Sweden.
