Pascal Bruckner

Pascal Bruckner is a French writer known for his critiques of French society and culture. Bruckner is often linked to the New Philosophers movement of the 1970s and 1980s. He is best known for books such as Le Sanglot de l’homme blanc (1983) and Les voleurs de beauté (1997), the latter winning the Prix Renaudot.

Pascal Bruckner was born in Paris. He attended Jesuit schools during his youth. He later studied at the universities of Paris I and Paris VII Diderot, followed by the École Pratique des Hautes Études. Bruckner became maître de conférences at the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris and contributed to the Nouvel Observateur.

Early in his career, Bruckner wrote in the vein of the New Philosophers. His novels include Parias and Lunes de fiel (1981), the latter adapted into a film by Roman Polanski. His essay Le Sanglot de l’homme blanc criticised Western self-criticism and pro-Third-World policies. It was influential among French intellectuals and sparked debate.

Bruckner won the Prix Médicis in 1995 for La tentation de l’innocence, an essay on contemporary political culture. In 1997, Les voleurs de beauté earned him the Prix Renaudot. His 2006 book La Tyrannie de la pénitence explored Western guilt and was translated as The Tyranny of Guilt (2010).

From 1992 to 1999, Bruckner supported causes in the Yugoslav Wars and later endorsed the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. He supported the 2003 Iraq War but criticised subsequent U.S. military errors. In 2009, he signed a petition backing Roman Polanski’s release after the director’s arrest.

In his memoir Un bon fils (2014), translated as A Dutiful Son (2016), Bruckner describes his difficult relationship with his father. He said, “My father helped me to think better by thinking against him. I am his defeat.” The book traces his path from a pious Catholic childhood to a leading philosopher and writer.