Brève Arcadie
Her prize-winning first novel and a natural chronological starting point.
Author guide
Jacqueline Harpman Books in Order
Jacqueline Harpman (1929–2012) was a Belgian French-language writer and psychoanalyst. Born in Etterbeek, she began publishing in 1958 with L'Amour et l'Acacia, followed by three early novels, including the prize-winning Brève Arcadie. She interrupted her literary career after 1966 to study psychology and train in psychoanalysis, returning to fiction in 1987 with La Mémoire trouble. She subsequently published novels, novellas, short-story collections, a play, a book of dialogues, and psychoanalytic essays. Her major distinctions included the Prix Victor-Rossel for Brève Arcadie, the Prix Médicis for Orlanda, and the triennial French Community of Belgium novel prize for La Dormition des amants.
literary fictionshort storiestheatreessayspsychoanalysis
Catalog record updated .
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Moi qui n'ai pas connu les hommes
A self-contained, widely recognized later novel that introduces her concerns with gender, power, and isolation.
Read in order
Books by series
duology · complete
L'Apparition des esprits / Le Véritable Amour
A two-work sequence following Catherine across her relationships and changing understanding of love.
- 1 L'Apparition des esprits
Book 1 · novel · 1960
- 2 Le Véritable Amour
Book 2 · novel · 2000
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (22)
- Brève Arcadie
novel · 1959
- Les Bons Sauvages
novel · 1966
- La Mémoire trouble
novel · 1987
- La Fille démantelée
novel · 1990
- La Plage d'Ostende
novel · 1991
- Le Bonheur dans le crime
novel · 1993
Un conducteur coincé dans un embouteillage, un jour de tempête à Bruxelles, est arrêté devant une maison de style éclectique. Étrange maison pour une étrange famille, les Dutilleul. Il y a Emma, la grand-mère qui aime choquer ; Simone et…
- Moi qui n'ai pas connu les hommes
novel · 1995
Elles sont quarante, enfermées dans une cave, sous la surveillance d'impassibles gardiens qui les nourrissent. La plus jeune - la narratrice - n'a jamais vécu ailleurs. Les autres, si aucune ne se rappelle les circonstances qui les ont…
- Orlanda
novel · 1996
"A magical novel on the theme of androgyny. Funny, subtle, poignant..." - Nadine Sautel, Magazine littéraire "Jacqueline Harpman drags us into one of those sexual phantasmagorias that are her own secret. She displays incredible confidence…
- L'Orage rompu
novel · 1998
- Dieu et moi
novella · 1999
- Récit de la dernière année
novel · 2000
- La Vieille Dame et moi
novel · 2001
- En quarantaine
novella · 2001
- La Dormition des amants
novel · 2002
Quel est le secret de la passion qui, depuis leur enfance, unit Maria Concepcion et Girolamo ? C'est ce que révèle ce roman situé dans un temps imaginaire, qui ressemble étrangement au XVIIe siècle. On y rencontre un jeune esclave victime…
- Le Temps est un rêve
novella · 2002
- Le Placard à balais
novel · 2003
- Jusqu'au dernier jour de mes jours
novel · 2004
- Le Passage des éphémères
novel · 2004
- La Forêt d'Ardenne
novella · 2004
- En toute impunité
novel · 2005
- Du côté d'Ostende
novel · 2006
- Ce que Dominique n'a pas su
novel · 2008
Short fiction (3)
- L'Amour et l'Acacia
short_story_collection · 1958
- La Lucarne
short_story_collection · 1992
- Ève et autres nouvelles
short_story_collection · 2001
Essays and speeches (1)
- Écriture et psychanalyse
essay_collection · 2011
Plays (1)
- Mes Œdipe
play · 2006
Other (1)
- Avant et après
dialogue · 2008
Frequently asked questions about Jacqueline Harpman
Who was Jacqueline Harpman?
Jacqueline Harpman (1929–2012) was a Belgian French-language writer and psychoanalyst who lived in Brussels.
Sources: penguin.com.au (opens in a new tab)grasset.fr (opens in a new tab)
How did Jacqueline Harpman become both a writer and a psychoanalyst?
She began studying medicine but had to stop after contracting tuberculosis, then turned to writing and published her first work in 1958. She later studied psychology and qualified as a psychoanalyst in 1980.
What influenced Jacqueline Harpman’s writing?
Her psychoanalytic practice strongly shaped her fiction, which focuses on individual relationships, passion, desire, and inner life. Belgian literary criticism describes her writing as a close meeting point between literature and psychoanalysis.
What awards did Jacqueline Harpman win?
Among her major honors, she received the Prix Victor-Rossel for Brève Arcadie in 1959 and the Prix Médicis for Orlanda in 1996.
Sources: objectifplumes.be (opens in a new tab)prixmedicis.com (opens in a new tab)
What is Jacqueline Harpman’s literary legacy?
Her legacy is preserved in the Archives et Musée de la Littérature in Brussels, which catalogues her manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, and French and foreign editions. The archive documents the continuing international reach of her work.
Source: aml-cfwb.be (opens in a new tab)