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Jérôme Ferrari

ジェローム・フェラーリ

Jerome Ferrari

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1968-01-01 （Paris）
Nationality
France
Languages
French
Residence History
Corsica → Algiers → Ajaccio → Abu Dhabi

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Translator, Philosophy teacher
Active Years
2002-

Awards

Prix Landerneau
2009
Work: Un dieu un animal
Organization: Livres Hebdo / awarding body
Result: 受賞
Grand Prix Poncetton
2010
Work: Where I Left My Soul
Organization: SGDL-related awarding body
Result: 受賞
Prix Roman France Télévisions
2010
Work: Where I Left My Soul
Organization: France Télévisions
Result: 受賞
Prix Goncourt
2012
Work: The Sermon on the Fall of Rome
Organization: Académie Goncourt
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Aleph zéro

2002 Novel

An early work by Ferrari exploring memory and the individual's inner life in a compact novel form.

memoryinner life

Dans le secret

2007 Novel

A novel dealing with hidden secrets and the darker sides of human relationships, containing Ferrari's recurring moral and philosophical questions.

secretsmoralityhuman relationships

Balco Atlantico

2008 Novel

A work addressing isolation and issues within local communities. It has been translated into English.

isolationlocal community
Translations
  • Balco Atlantico (English translation, 2019)

Un dieu un animal

2009 Novel

A narrative interweaving issues of religion, belief and violence. One of the works that won an award in 2009.

religionviolencebelief

Where I Left My Soul

2010 Historical novel / War literature

Set in the mid-1950s during the Algerian war, the novel looks back to World War II and the French defeat in Indochina, exploring complex historical and personal memories.

warmemorycolonialismguilt and conscience
Translations
  • Where I Left My Soul (English translation, 2012)

The Sermon on the Fall of Rome

2012 Novel

A major work addressing themes of contemporary French society's transformation and political collapse; winner of the 2012 Prix Goncourt.

politicssocietal collapsemorality
Translations
  • The Sermon on the Fall of Rome (English translation, 2014)

The Principle

2015 Novel

A novel questioning ethics, decisions and the principles guiding individual actions. It has an English translation.

ethicsdecisionindividual
Translations
  • The Principle (English translation, 2016)

In His Own Image

2018 Novel

A relatively recent novel reflecting on human nature, imitation and ethics. The English translation was published in 2022.

human natureimitationethics
Translations
  • In His Own Image (English translation, 2022)

Bibliography

  • Aleph zéro (2002)
  • Dans le secret (2007)
  • Balco Atlantico (2008)
  • Un dieu un animal (2009)
  • Where I Left My Soul / Où j'ai laissé mon âme (2010)
  • The Sermon on the Fall of Rome / Le Sermon sur la chute de Rome (2012)
  • The Principle / Le Principe (2015)
  • In His Own Image / A son image (2018)

Translations of Works

  • Where I Left My Soul (English translation, 2012)
  • The Sermon on the Fall of Rome (English translation, 2014)
  • The Principle (English translation, 2016)
  • In His Own Image (English translation, 2022)
  • Balco Atlantico (English translation, 2019)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical and philosophical proseconcise, observational descriptions
Recurring Motifs
history and memorywar and colonialismguilt and consciencepersonal ethics

Legacy

Ferrari holds an important place in contemporary French literature, notably after winning the 2012 Prix Goncourt. His works on history, memory and ethics have been translated and received international recognition.

Trivia

  • Won the 2012 Prix Goncourt for 'Le Sermon sur la chute de Rome'.
  • Has taught philosophy at high schools in Algiers and Abu Dhabi.
  • Several works have been translated into English and other languages.