Hervé Guibert

Hervé Guibert (14 December 1955 – 27 December 1991) was a French writer and photographer. The author of numerous novels and autobiographical studies, he played a considerable role in changing French public attitudes to AIDS. He was a close friend of Michel Foucault.

Early life and career

Guibert was born in Saint-Cloud, Hauts-de-Seine, to a middle-class family and spent his early years in Paris, moving to La Rochelle from 1970 to 1973. After working as a filmmaker and actor, he turned to photography and journalism. In 1978, he successfully applied for a job at France's prestigious evening paper Le Monde and published his second book, Les Aventures singulières (published by Éditions de Minuit). In 1984, Guibert shared a César Award for best screenplay with Patrice Chéreau for L'homme blessé. Guibert had met Chéreau in the 1970s during his theatrical years. He won a scholarship between 1987 and 1989 at Villa Medicis in Rome with his friend, writer Mathieu Lindon. He described these years in L'Incognito, published in 1989.

Guibert's writing style was inspired by the French writer Jean Genet and, later, by the work of Austrian writer Thomas Bernhard. Three of his lovers occupied an important place in his life and work: Thierry Jouno, director of an institute for the blind whom he met in 1976, and which led to his novel Des aveugles (published in English as Blindsight); Michel Foucault, whom he met in 1977; and Vincent Marmousez, a teenager of fifteen who inspired his novel Fou de Vincent (published in English as Crazy for Vincent).

In January 1988 Guibert was diagnosed with AIDS. From then on, he worked at recording what was left of his life. In June the following year, he married Christine, the partner of Thierry Jouno, so that his royalty income would eventually pass to her and her two children. In 1990, Guibert publicly revealed his HIV status in his roman à clef À l'ami qui ne m'a pas sauvé la vie (published in English as To the Friend Who Did Not Save My Life). Guibert immediately found himself the focus of media attention, featured in newspapers and appearing on several television talk shows.

Two more books also detailing the progress of his illness followed: Le Protocole compassionnel (published in English as The Compassion Protocol) and L'Homme au chapeau rouge (published in English as The Man In The Red Hat), which was released posthumously in January 1992, the same month French television screened La Pudeur ou l'impudeur, a home-made film by Guibert of his last year as he lost his battle against AIDS. Almost blind as a result of disease, he attempted to end his life just before his 36th birthday, and died two weeks later.[1]

Bibliography

  • La Mort propagande, R. Deforges, Paris, 1977
  • Zouc par Zouc, Balland, (1978)
  • Suzanne et Louise : roman-photo, Hallier, « Illustrations, » Paris, 1980
  • L'Image fantôme, Éditions de Minuit, Paris, 1981
  • Les Aventures singulières, Éditions de Minuit, Paris, 1982
  • Les Chiens, Éditions de Minuit, Paris, 1982
  • Voyage avec deux enfants, Éditions de Minuit, Paris, 1982
  • Les Lubies d'Arthur, Éditions de Minuit, Paris, 1983
  • L'Homme blessé : scénario et notes, screenplay by Patrice Chéreau, Éditions de Minuit, Paris, 1983
  • Le Seul Visage, photographies, Éditions de Minuit, Paris, 1984
  • Des aveugles, Gallimard, Paris, 1985 (Fénéon Prize, 1985)
  • Mes parents, Gallimard, Paris, 1986
  • "Vous m'avez fait former des fantômes", Gallimard, Paris, 1987
  • Les Gangsters, Éditions de Minuit, Paris, 1988
  • Mauve le Vierge : nouvelles, Gallimard, Paris, 1988
  • L'Image de soi ou l'Injonction de son beau moment ?
  • Fou de Vincent, Éditions de Minuit, Paris, 1989
  • L'Incognito: roman, Gallimard, Paris, 1989
  • À l'ami qui ne m'a pas sauvé la vie, Gallimard, Paris, 1990 trans. To the Friend Who Did Not Save My Life, Serpent's Tail 1993
  • Le Protocole compassionnel, Gallimard, Paris, 1991, translated into English as The Compassion Protocol, 1993
  • La Mort propagande : et autres textes de jeunesse, R. Deforges, Paris, 1991
  • Mon valet et moi : roman cocasse, Éditions du Seuil, Paris, 1991
  • Vice, photographies de l'auteur, J. Bertoin, Paris, 1991
  • L'Homme au chapeau rouge, Gallimard, Paris, 1992, translated into English as The Man In The Red Hat, 1993
  • Cytomégalovirus, journal d'hospitalisation, Éditions du Seuil, Paris, 1992
  • Le Paradis, Gallimard, Paris, 1992
  • Photographies, Gallimard, Paris, 1993
  • Vole mon dragon : théâtre, Gallimard, « Le manteau d'Arlequin », Paris, 1994
  • La piqûre d'amour : et autres textes ; suivi de La chair fraîche, Gallimard, Paris, 1994
  • Enquête autour d'un portrait : sur Balthus, preface by Éric de Chassey, Les Autodidactes, Paris, 1997
  • Lettres d'Égypte : du Caire à Assouan, 19.., photographies de Hans Georg Berger, Actes Sud, « Voir et dire », Arles, 1995
  • La photo, inéluctablement : recueil d'articles sur la photographie, 1977-1985, Gallimard, Paris, 1999
  • Le Mausolée des amants : journal, 1976-1991, Gallimard, Paris, 2001
  • Articles intrépides. 1977-1985, Gallimard, Paris, 2008
  • Herve Guibert: Voices of the Self, Liverpool University Press 1999

References

  1. ↑ "Herve Guibert, French Novelist, 36". New York Times. 1991-12-29. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
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