Originally from Réunion Island, Gaëlle Bélem now splits her life between her native island and Paris, where she regularly travels for her professional activities and literary commitments.
After completing literary preparatory classes, she pursued studies in history, law, literature, and Latin at Paris-Panthéon-Sorbonne University and the École Pratique des Hautes Études. She is now a high school teacher, a university lecturer, and an assistant judge at the Juvenile Court.
Gaëlle Bélem is published by Gallimard in the Continents Noirs collection. Her first novel, Un monstre est là, derrière la porte (There’s a Monster Behind the Door), was released in 2020. This was followed by Le fruit le plus rare (The Rarest Fruit) or la vie d’Edmond in 2023, both of which have also been translated into English, and Sud Sauvage, a collection of fantastic short stories published in April 2025.
She is the first woman from Réunion to join the Gallimard publishing house. Her novels depict life in Réunion, exploring its social and economic challenges, beliefs, and superstitions, through characters often from popular backgrounds whose ancestors come from India, Africa, or Europe.
There’s a Monster Behind the Door (Bullaun Press, 2024), translated by Karen Fleetwood and Laëtitia Saint-Loubert, was longlisted for The International Booker Prize 2025.
Book
There’s a Monster Behind the Door (Bullaun Press, 2024)
