ÉL

Édouard Louis

20quotes

Édouard Louis


Full Name and Common Aliases

Édouard Louis is a French writer and literary critic, born on November 17, 1981.

Birth and Death Dates

November 17, 1981 - (still alive)

Nationality and Profession(s)

French; Writer and Literary Critic

Early Life and Background


Édouard Louis was born in Béthune, a former mining town in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France. His family struggled financially, and he grew up with his mother and grandparents. Louis's early life was marked by poverty and social isolation. He has spoken publicly about the trauma and violence he experienced as a child, which would later inform much of his writing.

Major Accomplishments


Édouard Louis is known for his provocative and insightful writing on class, identity, and politics. His memoir "The End of Eddy" (French title: _L'Enfant noir_) won the Prix Goncourt in 2014, an award that catapulted him to international acclaim. This book chronicles his own experiences growing up gay and working-class in France and explores themes of poverty, racism, and homophobia.

Notable Works or Actions


Louis's writing often grapples with the complexities of French society and politics. He has written extensively on the tensions between class and identity, examining how these intersecting forces shape individual lives. Some of his notable works include:

_The End of Eddy_ (2014) - a memoir that won the Prix Goncourt
 _Who Killed My Father?_ (French title: _Mon dieu, qu'est-ce que je suis en train de faire ici?_) (2017) - another memoir exploring his relationship with his abusive father
* _From the Graham Norton Show to the Left Bank of Paris_ (French title: _De la Grande Place à la rive gauche de la Seine_) (2020) - a collection of essays that examine contemporary culture and society

Impact and Legacy


Édouard Louis has become a prominent voice in French literature, known for his unflinching portrayal of the social conditions of working-class life. His writing often challenges readers to confront the brutal realities of poverty and violence.

Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered


Louis is widely quoted and remembered due to his powerful and thought-provoking work on class, identity, and politics. His writing not only offers a glimpse into the lives of those struggling with poverty but also serves as a call to action, urging readers to confront the deeper social issues that shape individual experiences.

His work has sparked intense debate and discussion in France and beyond, cementing his place as one of the most important voices in contemporary French literature.

Quotes by Édouard Louis

Ils pensaient que j'avais fait le choix d'être efféminé, comme une esthétique de moi même que j'aurais poursuivies pour leur déplaire.
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Ils pensaient que j'avais fait le choix d'être efféminé, comme une esthétique de moi même que j'aurais poursuivies pour leur déplaire.
ÉL
(...) comme si la jeunesse n'était en rien une données biologique, une simple question d'âge ou de moment de la vie, mais plutôt une sorte de privilège réservé à ceux qui peuvent - de par leur situation - jouir de toutes ces expériences, de tous ces affects que l'on regroupe sous le nom d'adolescence.
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(...) comme si la jeunesse n'était en rien une données biologique, une simple question d'âge ou de moment de la vie, mais plutôt une sorte de privilège réservé à ceux qui peuvent - de par leur situation - jouir de toutes ces expériences, de tous ces affects que l'on regroupe sous le nom d'adolescence.
ÉL
Although she is an angry woman, she is not one who knows what to do with the hatred that never leaves her.
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Although she is an angry woman, she is not one who knows what to do with the hatred that never leaves her.
ÉL
#anger
Tout se passe comme si, dans le village, les femmes faisaient des enfants pour devenir des femmes, sinon elles n'en sont pas vraiment. Elles sont considérées comme des lesbiennes, des frigides.
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Tout se passe comme si, dans le village, les femmes faisaient des enfants pour devenir des femmes, sinon elles n'en sont pas vraiment. Elles sont considérées comme des lesbiennes, des frigides.
ÉL
#genre
There is a will that exists, a desperate, continual, constantly renewed effort to place some people on a level below you, not to be on the lowest rung of the social ladder.
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There is a will that exists, a desperate, continual, constantly renewed effort to place some people on a level below you, not to be on the lowest rung of the social ladder.
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#social-class #hierarchy
For the ruling class, in general, politics is a question of aesthetics: a way of seeing themselves, of seeing the world, of constructing a personality. For us it was life or death.
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For the ruling class, in general, politics is a question of aesthetics: a way of seeing themselves, of seeing the world, of constructing a personality. For us it was life or death.
ÉL
#politics #social-class
your back had been mangled by the factory, mangled by the life you were forced to live, by the life that wasn’t yours, that wasn’t yours because you never got to live a life of your own, because you lived on the outskirts of your life — because of all that you stayed at home, and usually they were the ones who came over.
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your back had been mangled by the factory, mangled by the life you were forced to live, by the life that wasn’t yours, that wasn’t yours because you never got to live a life of your own, because you lived on the outskirts of your life — because of all that you stayed at home, and usually they were the ones who came over.
ÉL
#oppression #working-class
f we look at politics as the government of some living people by other living people, as well as the existence of individuals within communities not of their choosing, then politics is what separates some populations, whose lives are supported, nurtured, protected, from other populations, who are exposed to death, to persecution, to murder.
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f we look at politics as the government of some living people by other living people, as well as the existence of individuals within communities not of their choosing, then politics is what separates some populations, whose lives are supported, nurtured, protected, from other populations, who are exposed to death, to persecution, to murder.
ÉL
#politics #oppression #government
Last month, when I came to see you, you asked me just before I left, Are you still involved in politics? The word still was a reference to my first year in high school, when I belonged to a radical leftist party and we argued because you thought I’d get myself into trouble if I took part in illegal demonstrations. Yes, I told you, more and more involved. You let three or four seconds go by. Then you said, You’re right. You’re right — what we need is a revolution.
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Last month, when I came to see you, you asked me just before I left, Are you still involved in politics? The word still was a reference to my first year in high school, when I belonged to a radical leftist party and we argued because you thought I’d get myself into trouble if I took part in illegal demonstrations. Yes, I told you, more and more involved. You let three or four seconds go by. Then you said, You’re right. You’re right — what we need is a revolution.
ÉL
#politics #revolution #france #leftism
She didn't realise that her family, her parents, her brothers and sisters, even her children, pretty much everyone in the village, had had the same problems, and what she called mistakes were, in fact, no more and no less than the perfect realisation of the normal course of things.
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She didn't realise that her family, her parents, her brothers and sisters, even her children, pretty much everyone in the village, had had the same problems, and what she called mistakes were, in fact, no more and no less than the perfect realisation of the normal course of things.
ÉL
#fate #social-norms #hierarchy #working-class
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