Virginie Despentes

Virginie Despentes (born 13 June 1969) is a French writer, novelist and filmmaker. ==Life[edit] ==

She settled in Lyon, where she worked multiple odd jobs; including maid, prostitute in "massage parlors" and peep shows, recorded store sales, and a freelance rock journalist and pornographic film critic.

She moved to Paris. Her novel Les Jolies choses, was adapted for the screen in 2001, by Gilles Paquet-Brenner, with Marion Cotillard and Stomy Bugsy in the lead roles. The film was awarded the Michel d'Ornano prize, at the 2001 Deauville Festival.

In 2000, she directed her first film adapted from one of her novels, Baise-moi, working with Coralie Trinh Thi, Karen Lancaume and Raffaëla Anderson as the protagonists. Her controversial novel is a contemporary example of the exploitation films genre known as rape and revenge films.

She translated the 2003 Placebo song "Protect Me From What I Want" into French. This was released as the single "Protège-Moi".

From 2004 to 2005, she tried a form of writing at the intersection of diaries and journalism, a blog post on which she documents her daily mood.

In 2005, she wrote three songs for the album Va chercher la police for the group A.S. Dragon. In 2006, she published a non-fiction work, King Kong Theory, which has also been translated into English and German, and recounts her experiences working within the French sex industry, and attendant infamy and praise associated with the aforementioned Baise-Moi.

In 2009 she directed her first documentary, 'Mutantes (Feminist Porn Punk), which was broadcast on TV Pink.

In 2010, her novel Apocalypse bébé, was awarded the Renaudot prize. Bye Bye Blondie was adapted for film with Béatrice Dalle and Emmanuelle Béart. Cecilia Backes and Salima Boutebal produced a stage adaptation of King Kong Theory, during the "Outside" Festival d'Avignon.

In 2011, her commentary on Dominique Strauss-Kahn appeared in The Guardian. ==Awards[edit] ==

Despentes won the 1998 Prix de Flore, and 1999 Prix Saint-Valentin for Les Jolies Choses; 2010 Prix Renaudot for Apocalypse Bébé.