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Biography
French

Nathalie Sarraute

1900 — 1999

Nathalie Sarraute was a French novelist and essayist who was a founding figure of the nouveau roman. Her works — including Tropisms (1939), The Age of Suspicion (1956), and Childhood (1983) — pioneered a new form of psychological fiction focused on the sub-conversational movements of consciousness she called 'tropisms.'

Past sales0
PeriodModern
NationalityFrench
1. Biography

A short life of the author

Nathalie Sarraute (1900–1999) was born Nathalie Tcherniak on 18 July 1900 in Ivanovo-Voznesensk, Russia, to a Jewish family. She grew up between Russia and France, studied law, and was called to the bar in Paris.

Life and Career

Tropismes (Tropisms, 1939) — her debut, a collection of short prose pieces capturing the tiny, involuntary movements of consciousness that underlie social interaction — laid the groundwork for her entire career. L’Ère du soupçon (The Age of Suspicion, 1956) — a collection of essays — served as a manifesto for the nouveau roman.

Le Planétarium (The Planetarium, 1959) — about a young couple’s quest for an apartment — and Enfance (Childhood, 1983) — an autobiography conducted as a dialogue between two voices — are her most acclaimed narratives.

Major Works and Themes

Sarraute wrote about the pre-verbal, pre-conscious movements beneath social interaction — the tremors of vanity, hostility, and desire that underlie every conversation.

Key Works

  • Tropisms (1939)
  • Childhood (1983)

Collecting Sarraute

French originals (Minuit, Gallimard) are the primary collected form. English translations bring $10–$25. Sarraute died in 1999.