By Erik Morse
The iconic French author and “phenomenologist” Alain Robbe-Grillet died Monday, Feb.18, at the age of 85 in Caen. His most lauded works include Le Voyeur (1955), La Jalousie (1957) and the critical essay Pour un nouveau roman (1966), which ushered in the titular literary movement synonymous with fellow authors Marguerite Duras, Claude Simon, and Nathalie Sarraute.
Alain Robbe-Grillet on Jean Genet, 2002
His very cinematographic style of writing also led to collaborations with noted French auteur Alain Resnais and the 1961 art-house classic L’Année dernière à Marienbad. Though he was not as celebrated – or as simultaneously vilified – in America as he was in his native France, Robbe-Grillet’s influence is immeasurable in the literary postmodernity he helped to engender.
A clip from L’Année dernière à Marienbad, 1961
Le Monde’s obit can be read here.