Hélène Cixous is a French writer, playwright, and literary critic born on June 5, 1937. She is known for her experimental writing style and versatility as a writer and thinker. Cixous has written over seventy books across multiple genres, including theater, literary and feminist theory, art criticism, autobiography, and poetic fiction.
Cixous gained recognition in 1969 with her first work of fiction, "Dedans" (Inside),a semi-autobiographical novel that won the Prix Médicis and explored themes of identity, memory, death, and writing. Her 1976 article "The Laugh of the Medusa" established her as a prominent figure in post-structural feminism. Cixous has collaborated with several artists and directors, including Adel Abdessemed, Pierre Alechinsky, Simone Benmussa, Jacques Derrida, Simon Hantaï, Daniel Mesguich, and Ariane Mnouchkine.
Hélène Cixous was born in Oran, French Algeria, to Jewish parents, Eve Cixous, née Klein, and Georges Cixous. Georges Cixous, a physician, died of tuberculosis in 1948. Eve Cixous became a midwife in Algiers after her husband's death and was eventually expelled from the country in 1971.
Cixous' brother, Pierre, a medical student and supporter of Algerian independence, was condemned to death in 1961 by the Organisation armée secrète. He joined Cixous in Bordeaux, where they were reunited with their mother. After Algeria's independence in 1962, Cixous' mother and brother returned to the country, but they were arrested. Cixous obtained their release with the help of Ahmed Ben Bella's lawyer.
Cixous married Guy Berger in 1955 and had three children with him. The couple divorced in 1964. Cixous earned her agrégation in English in 1959 and her Doctorat ès lettres in 1968. Her main focus during this time was English literature and the works of James Joyce.
Cixous became a professor at the University of Paris VIII and the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. She is known for founding the University of Paris VIII and the first center for women's studies in Europe.
