Philippe Djian


Philippe Djian is a popular French author of Armenian descent. He won the 2012 Prix Interallié for the novel ''"Oh...".

Life and career

Djian graduated from the Ecole Supérieure de Journalisme de Paris. After a period of wandering and odd jobs, he published a volume of short stories, 50 contre 1, and then the novels Bleu comme l'enfer and Zone érogène before gaining fame with his subsequent novels 37°2 le matin, Maudit Manège, Echine, Crocodiles , Lent dehors, Sotos, and Assassins.
Five of his novels have been adapted into films: 37°2 le matin which was filmed by Jean-Jacques Beineix, Bleu comme l'enfer directed by Yves Boisset; Impardonnables directed by André Téchiné; Love Is the Perfect Crime directed by Arnaud Larrieu and Jean-Marie Larrieu; and Oh.... He also co-wrote the screenplay of Ne fais pas ça with Luc Bondy.
The TV presenter Antoine De Caunes introduced him to Swiss singer Stephan Eicher. The two men became friends and Djian became the writer of Eicher's lyrics, at least for the songs in French.
Djian frequently moved. Today he lives in Biarritz and, on average, writes a novel every 18 months. With Doggy Bag, written in 2005, he started a literary series with six seasons, inspired by American TV series.

Awards and honors