French writer Annie Ernaux awarded Nobel Prize for Literature

This year’s Nobel Prize for Literature has been awarded to French author Annie Ernaux (Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency/AP)

French author Annie Ernaux has been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize for Literature for “the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory”, the Swedish Academy said on Thursday.

The 82-year-old started out writing autobiographical novels, but quickly abandoned fiction in favour of memoirs.