Éric
Reinhardt
Éric Reinhardt (born 1965) lives and works in Paris. As well as being a star of contemporary literature in France, he is also a freelance art books publisher and has worked with famous artists such as the choreographer Angelin Preljocaj, the architect Christian de Portzamparc and the shoe designer Christian Louboutin. His first novel, Demi-sommeil, was published in 1998. In Moral des ménages (2002), he harshly criticises the conservative values of contemporary French society and its craving for success at any cost. The book was praised by the critics for its ferocious satiric tone, its humour and a typical lyric tenderness. In his third novel, Existence, he continues with the same topic, and criticizes the excesses of modern capitalism: an antihero sees his successful life collapse in 24 hours and he meditates on this swift reversal of fate. In 2007, Cendrillon dealt once again with three middle-class characters, and was acclaimed by the critics. Le système Victoria (2011), his fifth novel, was nominated for the Prix Goncourt, Prix Renaudot and Le Grand Prix du Roman in 2011. Discussing the same themes as Le système Victoria, the play Élisabeth ou l’Équité followed in 2013 and was performed at the Theatre du Rond-Point, Paris. Published in August 2014, his latest novel, L’Amour et les Forêts, is the extraordinary portrait of an ordinary woman trapped in a tragedy of domestic violence. The novel has been awarded the Prix Renaudot des Lycéens 2014, the Prix France Télévisions 2014 and the Prix du Roman des Étudiants France Culture-Télérama 2015.