Marie Darrieussecq

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About Marie Darrieussecq

Marie Darrieussecq is one of the leading voices in contemporary French literature. Her first novel, Pig Tales (Truismes, P.O.L.; trans. by Linda Coverdale, The New Press, 1998), was a finalist for France’s prestigious Prix Goncourt in 1996 and became an international bestseller. In 2013, she received the Prix Medicis for her novel Men: A Novel of Cinema and Desire (Il faut beaucoup aimer les hommes, P.O.L.; trans. by Penny Hueston, Semiotext(e), 2016). Marie Darrieussecq has also worked as a translator and psychoanalyst. In 2022, she was a resident at Villa Albertine.



About Sleepless: A Memoir of Insomnia



(trans. by Penny Hueston, Semiotext(e), 2023)

Plagued by insomnia for twenty years, Marie Darrieussecq studies, in her book Sleepless, the causes, implications and consequences of sleeplessness. Inspired by her personal experience, Darrieussecq also turns to literature, geopolitical history, and psychoanalysis to better understand where insomnia comes from and what it might mean. Raging between autobiography, clinical observation, and criticism, Sleepless is a graceful, inventive meditation by one of the most daring, inventive novelists writing today.

Sleepless was released in the United States in September 2023.

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This event is a part of Villa Albertine’s Authors on Tour program.

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Saturday, April 18, 2026

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English Book Club - Émile Zola

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Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Join us at the French Library for a conversation on The Belly of Paris by Émile Zola. We invite you to read the book in its entirety and meet us on April 21st, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM.

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Friday, April 24, 2026

Seeking opportunities to speak French? Join us for our popular members-only conversation gathering.

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