Sophie Divry occupies a rather unique place in the French literary landscape. Each of her novels tackles a contemporary issue (the status of women, precariousness, our relationship with nature in a world facing extinction…) and offers an immersion into a unique world. Like a sociologist, and always with biting humour, she dissects the world in which we live, its social, economic and psychological dynamics. She sets herself high stylistic standards, and each of her works also represents a formal challenge. Going against the trend of autofiction, she champions a form of literature that seeks to capture our era through fictional stories. Her novels have been exceptionally well received by both the public and critics; La Condition pavillonnaire (Notabilia, 2014) was awarded a special mention in the Prix Wepler, Trois fois la fin du monde (Notabilia, 2019) won the Lire en poche Prize and the Page 111 Prize, whilst Fantastique histoire d’amour (Le Seuil, 2024) was awarded the France Télévisions Prize and the France Bleu/Page des libraires Prize in 2024.
Her latest novel, Rochebrune, was published as part of the autumn literary season by Actes Sud in August 2026.
She is also the author of several essays, including Rouvrir le roman (Notabilia, 2017), in which she explores the challenges and offers solutions for making the novel a place of exploration and adventure once more, and Cinq Mains Coupées (Le Seuil, 2020), in which she gives a voice to five protesters who had their hands maimed during the Yellow Vests movement, hailed by Le Monde littéraire des livres as ‘a literary achievement coupled with a political act and a lesson in journalism’.
« She consistently takes on a genre, drawing on classical sources which she catapults into our modern world. Emma Bovary has become M.A., the heroine with a perfect yet unsatisfying life in La Condition pavillonnaire. With Trois fois la fin du monde, Sophie Divry has written a Robinsonade centred on a robber holed up in an isolated farmhouse. Curiosity enabled her to write a novel without humans, following the wanderings of a robot on the planet Mars. Drawing on a more improvised and experimental vein, the other works by this former journalist reveal compelling themes: loneliness (La Cote 400); the place of the Christian faith – which is her own – in France today (Journal d’un recommencement); the writer’s condition and creative freedom (Quand le diable sortit de la salle de bain and Rouvrir le roman); and finally, work, class struggle and justice (Cinq mains coupées). Fantastique histoire d’amour brings together these themes that have occupied Sophie Divry since her debut. This substantial serialised novel, as playful and addictive as an excellent TV series, is so skilfully crafted that one is constantly drawn into its world. For life bears some resemblance to the challenge Sophie Divry set herself with this book: it is written in every style of dramatic writing.» Gladys Marivat, Lire Magazine
« The common thread running through Divry’s books is the commitment of a writer who deconstructs the societal and novelistic systems that pose so many obstacles for those who are in search of alternative paths.» Elisabeth Jodin, Le Temps
« Sophie Divry’s novels, so spectacularly different from one another, bring a breath of fresh air to the literary scene.» Raphaëlle Leyris, Le Monde
« Because it is innovative, ambitious and generous, Sophie Divry’s work is to be discovered unconditionally. » Estelle Lenartowicz, L’Express
