Marie Dorléans

Marie Dorléans studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Strasbourg and works as an author and illustrator of children’s books.

Since her debut »L’invité« [2011, tr: The Guest] about the curious encounter between a man and a horse that he invites to his home and which suddenly refuses to leave, she has published new works every year, which have won several awards. For example, »Nous avons rendez-vous« [2018; Eng. »The Night Walk«] received the Prix Landerneau and was voted one of the best illustrated books of 2021 by the New York Times. With atmospheric images, it depicts a family’s walk through a balmy summer night. While the stars twinkle in the sky, the father, mother and two children climb a mountain from whose summit they finally watch the sunrise. »It is as if the viewer has experienced this quiet, peaceful night through the senses – the darkness, the song of the grasshoppers, the smell of damp grass«, says DLF Kultur.

The recently published German translation of »Herbes folles« [2022; Ger. »Wilde Blätter«, 2024] tells the story of the Picobello family, whose garden is tended with care and meticulousness – until the person responsible for it quits their job and the plant world begins to grow wild. On the pages of the book, the family’s black and white, often literally petty world is overgrown with lush greenery and colorful flowers. Father, mother, and daughter are initially horrified, but then embark on the adventure of nature. »Marie Dorléans has come up with an enchanting story«, commented the magazine »Titel Kulturmagazin«. »A wonderful contrast of order and chaos, control and freedom and the realization that people should not subordinate everything to their petty standards«.

Marie Dorléans lives in Strasbourg.

Nous avons rendez-vous
Editions du Seuil
Paris, 2018

Translation:
Auf leisen Sohlen durch die Nacht
Gerstenberg
Hildesheim, 2019
[T: Ina Kronenberger]

Herbes folles
Editions du Seuil
Paris, 2022

Translation:
Wilde Blätter
Schaltzeit
Berlin, 2024
[T: Andreas Illmann]