WRITERS from Réunion

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Réunionese Writers of all time. This list of famous Réunionese Writers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity.

1. Michel Houellebecq (b. 1956)

With an HPI of 72.51, Michel Houellebecq is the most famous Réunionese Writer.  His biography has been translated into 65 different languages on wikipedia.

Michel Houellebecq (French pronunciation: [miʃɛl wɛlbɛk]; born Michel Thomas on 26 February 1956) is a French author of novels, poems, and essays, as well as an occasional actor, filmmaker, and singer. His first book was a biographical essay on the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. Houellebecq published his first novel, Whatever, in 1994 and his next novel, Atomised in 1998, which brought him international fame as well as controversy. He has published several books of poetry, including The Art of Struggle in 1996. An offhand remark about Islam during a publicity tour for his 2001 novel Platform led to Houellebecq being taken to court for inciting racial hatred. He was eventually cleared of all charges. He subsequently moved to Ireland for several years, before moving back to France. In 2010, he published The Map and the Territory, which won the prestigious Prix Goncourt. In 2015, his novel, Submission, sparked controversy for its depiction of Islam and was later accused of plagiarism. Annihilation was published in 2022. He was described in 2015 as "France's biggest literary export and, some say, greatest living writer" and called himself "probably islamophobic". In a 2017 Deutsche Welle article, he is dubbed the "undisputed star, and enfant terrible, of modern French literature".

2. Leconte de Lisle (1818 - 1894)

With an HPI of 68.73, Leconte de Lisle is the 2nd most famous Réunionese Writer.  His biography has been translated into 43 different languages.

Charles Marie René Leconte de Lisle (French: [ʃaʁl maʁi ʁəne ləkɔ̃t də lil]; 22 October 1818 – 17 July 1894) was a French poet of the Parnassian movement. He is traditionally known by his surname only, Leconte de Lisle.

3. Évariste de Parny (1753 - 1814)

With an HPI of 59.11, Évariste de Parny is the 3rd most famous Réunionese Writer.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Évariste Desiré de Forges, vicomte de Parny (6 February 1753 – 5 December 1814) was a French Rococo poet.