French-Canadian writer Nelly Arcan (pseudonym for Isabelle Forestier) was born on March 6, 1973 in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, and died on September 24, 2009 in Montreal. She became an internationally acclaimed writer with her autofictional texts
Putain(2001) and
Folle(2004), both of which were nominated for the Prix Femina. Moreover, she participated in Anne Fontaine’s 2008 film
Nathalie. Moving on from autofictional texts, Arcan started to write fiction. Her novel
Paradis, clef en mainwas published after her suicide, followed in 2011 by a collection of shorter texts and essays called
Burqa de chair. During her studies, she worked as an escort, an experience which left traces in manifold ways in numerous texts. The principal topics of her works are: prostitution, suicide and mental…
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Citation: Obergoker, Timo. "Nelly Arcan". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 July 2019 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=13845, accessed 24 November 2024.]