Caroline Lamarche (born 3 March 1955) is a French-speaking writer. She was born in Liège and spent her early childhood in Spain and her later childhood near Paris. With a qualification in romance languages, she taught in Liège and in Nigeria. As of 2008, she lives on the outskirts of Brussels.
She has had novels published by publishers Minuit and later Gallimard. La nuit l’après-midi, Minuit, 1998, was published in English as Night in the afternoon, translated by Howard Curtis.
The novel La mémoire de l’air, Gallimard, 2014, had been published in english in autumn 2022 as The memory of air, transl. Katherine Gregor, ed. Heloise Press. Winner of an English PEN Award.
She also has published poetry and further short shories including J’ai cent ans, Mira . For her collection of short stories Nous sommes à la lisière (Gallimard, 2019) she was awarded the Prix Goncourt de la Nouvelle. Leo and me and Merlin have been translated by Paul Curtis Daw and selected by Best European Fiction 2018 and the Massachusetts Review, Spring 2021.
She has also produced radio works for France-Culture and for Belgian radio, and scripts for plays.
Books translated in English
Click on the pictures
Main work
- Le Jour du chien, Minuit, 1996, Prix Rossel
- La nuit l’après-midi, Minuit, 1998. Published in English as « Night in the Afternoon« , Grove Press, translated by Howard Curtis
- J’ai cent ans, nouvelles, Le Serpent à Plumes 1999, rééd. Le Rocher/Le Serpent à Plumes 2006
- L’ours, Gallimard, 2000
- Lettres du pays froid, Gallimard, 2003
- Carnets d’une soumise de province, Folio Gallimard, 2004
- Karl et Lola, Gallimard, 2007
- La Barbière, Les Impressions Nouvelles, 2007
- Le Phoque, éditions du Rouergue, 2008
- La Chienne de Naha, Gallimard, 2012
- Mira, Les Impressions Nouvelles, 2013
- La mémoire de l’air, Gallimard, 2014
- The memory of air, transl. Katherine Gregor, ed. Heloise Press, autumn 2022. Winner of an English PEN Award.
- Enfin mort, Le Cormier, 2014
- Dans la maison un grand cerf, Gallimard, 2017
- La poupée de Monsieur Silence, ill. Goele Dewanckel, Fremok, 2018
- Nous sommes à la lisière, Gallimard 2019, Prix Goncourt de la nouvelle.
- L’Asturienne, Les Impressions Nouvelles, 2021
- La Fin des abeilles, Gallimard, 2022
Awards
For her early short stories she was awarded the « Prix Radio France Internationale » and the « Prix de la Fureur de Lire« , and the «Prix Franz de Wever (de l’Académie)» and her first novel (Le jour du chien (Minuit, 1996)) was awarded the « Prix Rossel« .
For her radio piece L’autre langue (« The other language »), she received the « Prix SACD » at the Festival Phonurgia Nova, Arles 2003.
Her short story Leo and me (translated by )Paul Curtis Daw) was selected in the Best European Fiction 2018, édited by Alex Andriesse, Dalkey Archive.
For her collection of short stories Nous sommes à la lisière (2019) she was awarded the «Prix Goncourt de la Nouvelle».
«Prix SCAM pour l’ensemble de son oeuvre».
«Prix quinquennal de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles».
English PEN Award 2022 for The memory of the air, Héloise editions.