Marie NDiaye

Marie NDiaye (born 4 June 1967) is a French novelist, playwright and screenwriter. She published her first novel, Quant au riche avenir, when she was 17. She won the Prix Goncourt in 2009. Her play Papa doit manger is the sole play by a living female writer to be part of the repertoire of the Comédie française. She co-wrote the screenplay for the 2022 legal drama Saint Omer alongside its director Alice Diop, and Amrita David. In September 2022, the film was selected as France's official selection for Best International Film at the 95th Academy Awards. The English translation of her novel The Witch, by Jordan Stump, was published in 2026 and longlisted for the International Booker Prize.