Virginie Despentes is a writer, filmmaker, and occasional translator and performer. She came to prominence in 1994 with the publication of her first novel,

, translated into English in 2003 as

(though a literal translation would be “fuck me”). Saturated with graphic scenes of sex and violence, this novel earned Despentes notoriety and established her reputation as an

on the margins of the French literary scene. In the years since the publication of

, Despentes has gradually moved in “from margins to center” (Schaal 2018), achieving mainstream commercial success. Her novel

(2010;

, 2015) won the Prix Renaudot, while her

trilogy (2015–17;

, 2018–20) was a bestseller in…

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Citation: Pugh, Alexandra. "Virginie Despentes". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 November 2022 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14888, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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