Bernard Comment

Bernard Comment (born 20 April 1960) is a Swiss writer, translator, scriptwriter, and publisher of books.

Early life Bernard Comment was born in Porrentruy, Switzerland, on 20 April 1960. He is a son of the artist Jean-François Comment. His elder brother Gerard is the proprietor of a record store Collector Shop in his hometown.

Education Comment studied Literature at the University of Geneva under Jean Starobinski in 1990. Between 1993 and 1994, he was awarded a residential fellowship at the Villa Médicis, which inspired a tract against this kind of State-supported grants.

Comment has translated several books of Antonio Tabucchi into French.

In 2005, he succeeded Denis Roche as director at Fiction & Cie, and was appointed president of the Commission of the Novel at the Centre national du livre, which he held till 2008.

In 2010, with Stanley Buchthal, he edited Fragments, a collection of intimate writings, poems and letters of Marilyn Monroe.

Film and broadcasting Along with Alain Tanner, he co-wrote the screenplays for the films Fourbi (1996), Requiem (1998), Jonas et Lila, Til Tomorrow (1999), Paul s'en va (2004). He also created with Bertrand Theubet, Le pied dans la fourmilière (1998) based on one of his novels.

From October 2011, he has been an advisor of programming at Arte.

Awards and honours

1990: Prix Lipp Suisse for L'ombre de mémoire 1990: Prix de la République et Canton du Jura 1993: Prix Antigone for Allées et venues 1995: Award of Distinction of the Commission of French literature of the canton of Bern 2005: Award of the Canton of Bern for Un Poisson hors de l'eau 2010: Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 2011: Prix Goncourt de la Nouvelle for Tout passe