Simon, Claude, << see MAWN, klohd >> (1913-2005), a French novelist, won the 1985 Nobel Prize in literature. Simon was a leading representative of the Nouveau Roman (New Novel) movement in French literature of the mid-1900’s. Writers of the New Novel moved away from traditional approaches to the novel, such as realistic storytelling and plots. Instead, their fiction concentrates on precise descriptions of objects or events as experienced or seen by the characters. The novels are also obsessed with the description of time and its impact on characters.
Simon’s novels emphasize detailed descriptions of impressions, but their meaning is often unclear. His style mixes narration with experimental interior monologues. Simon wrote long sentences, often without punctuation. Critics generally consider Simon’s most important work to be a cycle of four novels. The cycle consists of The Grass (1958), The Flanders Road (1960), The Palace (1962), and Histoire (1967). They all have recurring characters and events.
Claude-Eugene-Henri Simon was born on Oct. 10, 1913, in Tananarive, Madagascar, then a French colony. He completed his first novel, The Cheat (1945), while fighting with the French Resistance against Germany during World War II (1939-1945). His other novels include The Crowning of Spring (1954), The Wind (1957), The Battle of Pharsalus (1969), Triptych (1973), The Acacia (1989), The Invitation (1992), and The Tramway (2001). He died on July 6, 2005.
