Sagan, Françoise

orig. Françoise Quoirez

born June 21, 1935, Carjac, France

died Sept. 24, 2004, Honfleur

French novelist and dramatist.

While attending the Sorbonne, she published her best-known novel, the poignant Bonjour Tristesse (1954), when she was 19 years old. It became an international best-seller and was followed by A Certain Smile (1956). Her later novels often feature aimless people in tangled relationships. Her plays, including Opposite Extremes (1987), resemble her novels in their subject matter.

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▪ 2005

Françoise Quoirez 

      French novelist and dramatist (b. June 21, 1935, Cajarc, France—d. Sept. 24, 2004, Honfleur, France), created an international sensation as a teenager with the publication of her first novel, Bonjour tristesse (1954), a precocious story of amorality, seduction, and infidelity that she wrote in only a few weeks after having failed her exams at the Sorbonne. The novel's rebelliousness and cynicism, as well as its frank discussion of adolescent sex, defined a generation of disillusioned French youth. An international best seller translated into some 20 languages, it was also adapted into a movie (1958). Sagan wrote more than 30 other novels, including Un certain sourire (1956; A Certain Smile, 1956), Dans un mois, dans un an (1957; Those Without Shadows, 1957), and Aimez-vous Brahms? (1959; filmed as Goodbye Again, 1961), although none matched the success of Bonjour tristesse. Written in a spare, classical style, her novels typically focused on the adulterous relationships and hedonism of the idle rich. She also wrote short stories, film scripts, nonfiction, and plays. An iconic figure in France, Sagan made headlines with her glamorous lifestyle—highlighted by a love of gambling and driving fast cars—which she celebrated in some of her fiction and which often attracted more attention than her later works.

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▪ French author

pseudonym of  Françoise Quoirez 

born June 21, 1935, Carjac, France

died September 24, 2004, Honfleur

      French novelist and dramatist who wrote her first and best-known novel, the international best-seller Bonjour Tristesse (1954), when she was 19 years old.

      Educated at private and convent schools in France and Switzerland, Sagan attended the Sorbonne. She wrote the manuscript of Bonjour Tristesse in three weeks; it was made into a film in 1958. Among the novels that followed Bonjour Tristesse are Un Certain Sourire (1956; A Certain Smile), Aimez-vous Brahms? (1959), Les Merveilleux Nuages (1961; Wonderful Clouds), Un Profil perdu (1974; Lost Profile), De guerre lasse (1985; Engagements of the Heart, or A Reluctant Hero), and Un Sang d'aquarelle (1987; Painting in Blood). Most of Sagan's novels feature aimless people who are involved in tangled, often amoral relationships. Almost all her protagonists are young women involved sexually with older, world-weary men or, less frequently, middle-aged women and their young lovers. Her plays, which resemble her novels in content, were generally well received. They include Château en Suède (1960; Castle in Sweden) and L'Excès contraire (1987; Opposite Extremes). She also wrote film scripts, short stories, and nonfiction.

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