Christophe Honoré

Christophe Honoré (born 1970 in Carhaix, Finistère) is a French writer, filmmaker and theatre director. His work spans young adult fiction, novels for adults, cinema, theatre and opera, and he often tackles difficult subjects such as HIV, suicide and incest. Since the late 1990s he has been a visible figure in French cultural debate.

He grew up in Rostrenen, in Brittany, and studied literature at Rennes 2 University. After moving to Paris in 1995 he began publishing. His first book, Close to Leo, was a novel for young readers about HIV. He went on to write other books for teenagers, and later novels for adults and plays. He also contributed to film magazines, including Cahiers du Cinéma, where a 1998 article criticising the moralising tone of some French films caused a bitter quarrel among filmmakers.

His cinema career gained momentum with My Mother (2004) and In Paris (2006), which earned him comparisons with the Nouvelle Vague. Songs of Love (2007), selected for competition at Cannes, brought him wider attention. Many of his films deal with gay and lesbian relationships and with family ties. In theatre and opera he has staged classic and contemporary works, from Victor Hugo to Poulenc, Debussy and Verdi.

Honoré is openly gay and has publicly supported marriage equality and gay rights. His legacy lies mainly in linking youth literature, auteur cinema and the stage, in a body of work that does not shy away from uncomfortable subjects.