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Laurent Binet

ローラン・ビネ

Laurent Binet

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1972-07-19 （Paris, France）
Nationality
France
Languages
French

Career

Occupations
Novelist, University lecturer
Active Years
2000-

Education

University of Paris
Modern Literature / Faculty of Letters
Country: France
Studied modern literature

Awards

Goncourt Prize — Best First Novel
2010
Work: HHhH
Organization: Académie Goncourt
Result: Winner
Livre de Poche Readers' Award
2011
Work: HHhH
Organization: Le Livre de Poche
Result: Winner
Anterlié Prize
2015
Work: The Seventh Function of Language (La Septième Fonction du langage)
Organization: Anterlié Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française
2019
Work: Civilizations
Organization: Académie française
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

HHhH

2010 Historical novel / Metafiction 384 pages

A metafictional account centered on the 1942 assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in Prague, examining the boundary between historical fact and fictional representation while interweaving the author's own reflections on writing.

World War IIAssassinationHistory vs. fiction
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Man with the Iron Heart / HHhH / Cédric Jimenez (2017)
Translations
  • Translated into Japanese by Kei Takahashi (2013, Tokyo Sogensha)
  • English translation (2012), shortlisted in anglophone reviews and named in NYT 100 Notable Books of 2012

The Seventh Function of Language (La Septième Fonction du langage)

2015 Literary thriller / Satirical mystery

A novel mixing linguistics, semiotics and a conspiracy plot involving intellectuals and public figures; it plays with real thinkers in a satirical, detective-like narrative.

LanguagePower and knowledgeParody and satire
Translations
  • Translated into Japanese by Kei Takahashi (2020, Tokyo Sogensha)

Civilizations

2019 Historical novel / Alternate history

A novel that reimagines encounters between civilizations, challenging Eurocentric narratives and exploring the complex dynamics of cultural contact and conquest.

Clashes and exchanges of civilizationsReinterpretation of history
Translations
  • Translated into Japanese by Akemi Tachibana (2023, Tokyo Sogensha)

Bibliography

  • Forces et faiblesses de nos muqueuses (2000)
  • La Vie professionnelle de Laurent B. (2004)
  • HHhH (2010)
  • Rien ne se passe comme prévu (2012)
  • La Septième Fonction du langage (2015)
  • Qu'est-ce que la gauche? (co-authored, 2017)
  • Civilizations (2019)

Adaptations

  • HHhH → Film: The Man with the Iron Heart / HHhH (2017)

Translations of Works

  • HHhH (translated into Japanese by Kei Takahashi, 2013, Tokyo Sogensha)
  • The Seventh Function of Language (translated into Japanese by Kei Takahashi, 2020, Tokyo Sogensha)
  • Civilizations (translated into Japanese by Akemi Tachibana, 2023, Tokyo Sogensha)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
IronicMetafictionalIntellectually satirical
Recurring Motifs
Reinterpretation of historyLanguage and powerPrivate lives of intellectuals

Legacy

Laurent Binet gained international recognition for questioning the boundary between history and fiction. Noted for HHhH and later novels, he has been praised by critics and readers in multiple countries; his works have been translated and adapted for film, and are widely read outside France.

Archives

  • Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)

In Popular Culture

  • Film adaptation of HHhH (2017)

Trivia

  • Has an X (formerly Twitter) account: @LaurentBinetH
  • HHhH was selected for The New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2012