Françoise Mallet-Joris
Belgian author (1930–2016)
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Key Takeaways
- Françoise Mallet-Joris (6 July 1930 – 13 August 2016), the pen name of Françoise Lilar, was a Belgian author.
- Early life Françoise-Eugenie-Julienne Lilar was born on 6 July 1930 in Antwerp.
- Françoise was also the older sister of Marie Fredericq-Lilar, an art historian of the 18th century.
- As a teenager, Lilar was quite rebellious, and desperately sought her independence from her parents.
- When her parents found out, they sent her to Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, but it didn't last long.
Françoise Mallet-Joris (6 July 1930 – 13 August 2016), the pen name of Françoise Lilar, was a Belgian author. She was a member of the Prix Femina committee from 1969 to 1971 and was appointed to the Académie Goncourt from November 1971 to 2011.
Early life
Françoise-Eugenie-Julienne Lilar was born on 6 July 1930 in Antwerp. She was the first child of writer Suzanne Lilar (first woman admitted to the Antwerp Bar) and Albert Lilar, Belgian Minister of Justice and Minister of State. Françoise was also the older sister of Marie Fredericq-Lilar, an art historian of the 18th century. The household was French-speaking, but Françoise picked up Flemish from a maid.
As a teenager, Lilar was quite rebellious, and desperately sought her independence from her parents. To defy them, she began dating an older man, playwright Louis Decreux. When her parents found out, they sent her to Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, but it didn't last long. To further annoy her parents, she married a Yale graduate student, Robert Amadou in 1948. The same year, Lilar gave birth to their son, Daniel Amadou. Robert Amadou was French, and through him, Lilar gained French citizenship. After obtaining that, Lilar and Amadou divorced.
During her time in Paris, Lilar attended the Sorbonne. Around this time, Lilar and her parents reconciled their relationship.
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