Daniel Pennac

Daniel Pennac (real name Daniel Pennacchioni, born 1 December 1944 in Casablanca, French Morocco) is a French writer. He received the Prix Renaudot in 2007 for his essay Chagrin d'école.

Daniel Pennacchioni is the fourth and last son of a Corsican and Provençal family. His father was a polytechnicien who became an officer of the colonial army, reaching the rank of general at retirement and his mother, a housewife, was a self-taught reader. His childhood was spent wherever his father was stationed, in Africa (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Algeria, Equatorial Africa), Southeast Asia (Indochina) and France (including La Colle-sur-Loup). His father's love for poetry gave him a taste for books that he quickly devoured in the family library or at school

After studying in Nice he became a teacher. He began to write for children, including his series "La Saga Malaussène", which tells the story of Benjamin Malaussène, a scapegoat, and his family in Belleville, Paris. In a 1997 piece for Le Monde, Pennac stated that Malaussène's youngest brother, Le Petit, was the son of Jerome Charyn's New York detective, Isaac Sidel.

His writing style can be humorous and imaginative as in "La Saga Malaussène", or scholarly, as exemplified by the essay "Comme un roman." His comic Débauche, written jointly with Jacques Tardi, deals with unemployment.

Literary awards In 1990 Pennac won the "Prix du Livre Inter" for La petite marchande de prose. His 1984 novel L'œil du loup was translated into English as Eye of the Wolf by Sarah Adams – later known as Sarah Ardizzone

Illustrated books Les grandes vacances, (photographies) Pennac and Robert Doisneau (2002) La vie de famille Le sens de la Houppelande Vercors d'en haut: La réserve naturelle des hauts-plateaux Le grand Rex (1980) Némo Écrire

Illustrated books for children Sahara Le Tour du ciel, with the painting from Miró Qu'est-ce que tu attends, Marie ?, with the painting from Monet.

Comic books La débauche (illustrated by Tardi) Tête de nègre

Film and TV series Série noire (1984), season 1 episode 30 Messieurs les enfants (1997) L'oeil du loup (1998) Monsieur Malaussène (2001) Ernest & Celestine (French: Ernest et Célestine) (2012) Daniel Pennac: Ho visto Maradona! (2022)

Films on Daniel Pennac Daniel Pennac, écrire, enseigner, communiquer directed by Stéphan Bureau (Canada/2009). Daniel Pennac, la Métamorphose du crabe directed by Charles Castella for the French collection documentary Empreintes of France 5 (Docside/2009). Bartleby en coulisses directed by Jérémie Carboni (France Télévisions Distribution/2010).