Véronique Alain

Véronique Olmi (born 1962 in Nice, France) is a multifaceted French cultural figure whose career spans playwriting, novel writing, acting, and screenwriting, establishing her as one of the most prolific contemporary voices in French literature and theatre. From an early age she displayed a keen interest in storytelling, eventually translating that passion into a professional path that began in the mid‑1990s with the staging of her first play Le Passage in 1996, a work that earned the Prix de la Fondation La Poste and marked the start of a continuous output of stage pieces. Over the next two decades she authored more than a dozen plays, including Chaos debout, Point à la ligne, and Le jardin des apparences, many of which were directed by notable figures such as Jacques Lassalle and Gildas Bourdet and received prestigious recognitions like the Prix CIC Théâtre and a Molière nomination for best author. Parallel to her dramatic achievements, Olmi launched a successful literary career, publishing her first novella Bord de mer in 2001; the work garnered the Prix Alain‑Fournier in 2002 and was later translated into several European languages under the title Beside the Sea, cementing her reputation as an emerging artist of significant international appeal. She followed this breakthrough with a series of novels—Mathilde, Je nous aime beaucoup, Une séparation, Des baisers, pardon—each reflecting her distinctive blend of lyrical prose and psychological depth, and many of these titles have been reissued by major French publishers such as Grasset, Albin Michel, and Actes Sud. Her novel La petite fille aux allumettes (2004) and later works like La Nuit en vérité (2013) and Bakhita: A Novel of the Saint of Sudan (2017) demonstrate her willingness to explore diverse historical and social themes, earning her the Prix Maison de la Presse in 2011 and a place among the 60 writers of Nous sommes CHARLIE in defense of free expression. In addition to writing, Olmi has contributed as a screenwriter for productions such as Bord de mer (Bagherra Production) and Un souvenir (Jade Production, France 2), and she has performed as an actress in film and theatre, appearing in titles like À demain Modigliani and Le Diable. Her recent publications, including Les Évasions particulières (2020, translated as Daughters Beyond Control) and Le gosse (2022), confirm her ongoing vitality and relevance in contemporary French culture, while her involvement in interdisciplinary projects—such as the correspondence adaptation of Tsvétaïeva and Rodzevitch—highlights her commitment to bridging literary and performative arts. Overall, Véronique Olmi's extensive body of work, award‑winning literature, and active engagement on stage and screen make her a singular figure whose influence continues to shape the landscape of modern French narrative arts.