Philippe Vilain

Philippe Vilain (born 1969) is a French man of letters, writer, essayist, doctor of modern literature of the University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle.

His literary work presents itself as an exploration of the consciousness of love: jealousy (L'Étreinte), the guilt of not loving enough (Le Renoncement), commitment (L'Été à Dresde), adultery (Paris l'après-midi, La Femme infidèle), paternity (Faux-père), shyness (Confession d’un timide), cultural and social difference (Pas son genre).

His theoretical work questions contemporary literature (Dans le séjour des corps. Essai sur Marguerite Duras) and Autofiction. A new defining pact is advanced in L’autofiction en théorie; Fiction homonymique ou anominale qu’un individu fait de sa vie ou d’une partie de celle-ci.

After La Dernière Année (adapted to theatre -Proscenium- by Jean-Paul Muel [fr] in 2002,) Paris l’après-midi (prix François Mauriac of the Académie française 2007,) Pas son genre, his seventh novel (prix Scrivere per amore 2012 in Italy,) was the subject of a cinematographic adaptation by director Lucas Belvaux in 2014, under the same title.

In April 2013, at the International Symposium Les intermittences du sujet : écritures de soi et discontinu (1913-2013), the University of Upper Alsace welcomed Philippe Vilain for a day of study on his work. A university book was published following this study day: Philippe Vilain ou la dialectique des genres, under the direction of Arnaud Schmitt and Philippe Weigel, which brought together contributions of Pierre Brunel [fr] , Jean Pierrot, Marc Dambre and Frédérique Toudoire-Surlapierre.

His novel La Femme infidèle was awarded the Prix Jean Freustié in 2013.

Villain is an associate member of the CERACC (Centre d’Etudes sur le Roman des Années Cinquante au Contemporain) at the university Sorbonne-Nouvelle Paris III.