Scrutiniser of self, Annie Ernaux beats long path to Nobel literature prize

Her debut novel was Les Armoires Vides in 1974 but she gained international recognition following the publication of Les Annees in 2008, translated into The Years in 2017

French author Annie Ernaux won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday for "the courage and clinical acuity" in her largely autobiographical books examining personal memory and social inequality.
 

In explaining its choice, the Swedish Academy said Ernaux, 82, "consistently and from different angles examines a life marked by strong disparities regarding gender, language and class".
 

The first French woman to win the literature prize, Ernaux said winning was "a responsibility".
 

"I was very surprised ... I never thought it would be on my landscape as a writer," Ernaux told Swedish broadcaster SVT. "It is a great responsibility ...