Maylis de Kerangal
Author
I grew up in Le Havre, in a family of sailors—my first world was a port city, saturated with stories. A stay in Colorado in 1995 was a turning point: I wrote my first novel. Since then, each book has been a new departure, a metamorphosis shaped by language.
Coming to Villa Swagatam offers the unique chance to unite two powerful forces: the immersion in an unfamiliar, fascinating Indian megacity, and the solitary, intimate process of writing. I hope to connect deeply—with the place, its people, and fellow artists. As the saying goes: “When you’re at the dance, you must dance!”
Maylis de Kerangal is a celebrated French writer known for her richly layered, documentary-style fiction. Born in Le Havre, she studied history, philosophy, and ethnology before working as an editor. She is the author of around fifteen books, including Birth of a Bridge (Prix Médicis) and The Heart—a powerful novel about a heart transplant, translated into 40 languages and adapted for film and stage. Her work explores youth, labor, landscapes, and the human voice, blending research with poetic precision. Her recent titles include Canoës (2021) and Jour de ressac (2024), a novel devoted to her hometown of Le Havre.
