About Viviane Forrester
Lived 1925 – 2013 (aged 87). Viviane Forrester was a French writer, literary critic, essayist and prose writer.
Viviane Forrester (29 September 1925, Paris – 30 April 2013) was an essayist, novelist, journalist and literary critic.
Biography Born Viviane Dreyfus in a French Jewish family, after wartime exile she married Simon Stoloff, with whom she had two sons. After they divorced, she married John Forrester - they separated after some years, but never divorced. She worked for Le Monde, Le Nouvel Observateur and Quinzaine littéraire and was a member of the jury of the Prix Femina. She became famous internationally with her books on Virginia Woolf (Prix Goncourt 2009) and on politics. In L'horreur économique and Une étrange dictature she criticized the globalisation of capitalism. These international bestsellers in particular attacked the free market dogma and the resulting alienation and misfortunes for the unemployed.
She was also a founding member of ATTAC.
Viviane Forrester died on Tuesday 30 April 2013.
Awards
In 1983, she won the Prix Femina de l'essai for her biography of Van Gogh and later became a member of the jury of the Prix Femina. In 1996 she won the Prix Médicis de l'essai in 1996 for L'horreur économique. In 2009 she won the Prix Goncourt de la Biographie in 2009 for her biography of Virginia Woolf.
Works "The NS Essay - Work: the great illusion", The New Statesman, 24 May 1999 Ainsi des exilés, Denoël, 1970 Le Grand festin, Denoël, 1971 Le corps entier de Marigda, Denoël, 1976 Vestiges, Seuil, 1978 La Violence du calme, Seuil, 1980 Van Gogh ou l'enterrement dans les blés, Seuil, 1983, Le Jeu des poignards, Gallimard, 1985 L'Oeil de la nuit, Grasset, 1986 Mains, Séguier, 1988, 1001 nuits, 1998 Ce Soir, après la guerre, Lattès, 1992, Fayard, 1997 L'horreur économique, Fayard: Centre d'Exportation du Livre Francais, 1996, The Economic Horror, Wiley-Blackwell, 1999, Une étrange dictature, Fayard, 2000 Le Crime occidental, Fayard, 2004 Mes Passions de toujours, Fayard, 2006 Virginia Woolf, Albin Michel, 2009 (English trans., Jody Gladding.) [Columbia University Press,] 2015. Rue de Rivoli, Gallimard, 2011 Dans la fureur glaciale, Gallimard, 2011
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in Viviane Forrester's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Viviane Forrester's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Viviane Forrester?
French writer (1925–2013)
When was Viviane Forrester born?
Viviane Forrester was born on 29 September 1925 in 16th arrondissement of Paris.
When did Viviane Forrester die?
Viviane Forrester died on 30 April 2013 in 7th arrondissement of Paris.
What was Viviane Forrester's occupation?
Viviane Forrester was a writer, literary critic, essayist and prose writer.
What nationality was Viviane Forrester?
Viviane Forrester was French.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Viviane Forrester
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Viviane Forrester. https://biography.guide/viviane-forrester/
MLA: "Viviane Forrester." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/viviane-forrester/.
Chicago: "Viviane Forrester." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/viviane-forrester/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:21 UTC