Annie Ernaux Books in Order
Annie Ernaux has written 26 books, published between 1974 and 2026. The first book is Cleaned Out (1974) and the newest is Writing, the Other Life (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 26
- Published
- 1974–2026
- Pages on record
- 915 in 10 of 26 books
Annie Ernaux, born in 1940, is a French writer whose books are largely autobiographical and closely tied to sociology. The 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature recognised the precision with which Ernaux traces personal memory and the social constraints around it. Her books are short, at a median of 95 pages, and the catalogue of 26 titles runs from Cleaned Out (1974) through A Man's Place (1983), Simple Passion (1991) and I Remain in Darkness (1996) to Writing, the Other Life in 2026.
Source: Wikidata
How many Annie Ernaux books are there?
Annie Ernaux has 26 books, released between 1974 and 2026.
Annie Ernaux Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 26 Annie Ernaux books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of November 2026.
- 1Cleaned Out1974 · 127 pages · confirmed 1/419741271/4
- 2Do What They Say or Else1977 · confirmed 1/41977–1/4
- 3A Frozen Woman1981 · confirmed 1/41981–1/4
- 4A Man's Place1983 · confirmed 1/41983–1/4
- 5A Woman's Story1987 · 96 pages · confirmed 1/41987961/4
- 6Simple Passion1991 · 67 pages · confirmed 1/41991671/4
- 7Positions1991 · 99 pages · confirmed 1/41991991/4
- 8Exteriors1993 · confirmed 1/41993–1/4
- 9Passion Perfect1993 · 68 pages · confirmed 1/41993681/4
- 10I Remain in Darkness1996 · 94 pages · confirmed 1/41996941/4
- 11Shame1997 · 114 pages · confirmed 1/419971141/4
- 12Happening2000 · 96 pages · confirmed 1/42000961/4
- 13The Possession2003 · 62 pages · confirmed 1/42003621/4
- 14The Years2008 · confirmed 1/42008–1/4
- 15Things Seen2010 · 92 pages · confirmed 1/42010921/4
- 16A Girl's Story2020 · confirmed 1/42020–1/4
- 17La Place / Une Femme / L'Autre Fille2022 · confirmed 1/42022–1/4
- 18Getting Lost2022 · confirmed 1/42022–1/4
- 19L'Écriture comme un couteau2023 · confirmed 1/42023–1/4
- 20Look at the Lights, My Love2023 · confirmed 1/42023–1/4
- 21The Young Man2023 · confirmed 1/42023–1/4
- 22I Will Write to Avenge My People2023 · confirmed 1/42023–1/4
- 23L’Événement / Mémoire de fille / Le Jeune Homme2024 · confirmed 1/42024–1/4
- 24The Use of Photography2024 · confirmed 1/42024–1/4
- 25The Other Girl2025 · confirmed 1/42025–1/4
- 26Writing, the Other Life2026 · confirmed 1/42026–1/4
Annie Ernaux books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.
Standalone books
26 books26 Annie Ernaux titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Annie Ernaux Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the Annie Ernaux books run from Cleaned Out (1974) to Writing, the Other Life (2026), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Annie Ernaux in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read Annie Ernaux books in order?
No. No source lists any of the 26 Annie Ernaux books here as part of a series. The numbered table above gives them by publication date.
Where to start with Annie Ernaux
Start with Cleaned Out (1974), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Annie Ernaux book?
Writing, the Other Life (2026) is the newest Annie Ernaux book released so far.
Is there a new Annie Ernaux book coming?
No next Annie Ernaux book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards Annie Ernaux has won
Wikidata records 10 awards and 1 nomination for Annie Ernaux. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given. Award data is sourced from Wikidata.
- Nobel Prize in Literature2022Won
- Prix de l’Académie de Berlin2019Won
- Prix Formentor2019Won
- Strega Prize2016Won
- Prix François-Mauriac2008Wonfor The Years
- Prix de la langue française2008Won
- Prix Marguerite Duras2008Wonfor The Years
- Prix François Mauriac (Aquitaine)2008Won
- Prix Renaudot1984Wonfor La Place
- prize Maillé Latour Landry1984Wonfor La Place
- International Booker Prize2019Shortlistedfor The Years
Annie Ernaux at a glance
- Still publishing
- Annie Ernaux published a book as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- Annie Ernaux books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 915 pages across the 10 of 26 books with a recorded length, a median of 95 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Annie Ernaux books, 11 of 26, were published in the 2020s.
When Annie Ernaux books were published
Publication distribution by decade, showing when Annie Ernaux titles appeared. 2020s was the most productive decade with 11 titles.
26 books total across 6 decades. Decade reflects the year each title was first catalogued.
What the Annie Ernaux books are about
13 of the 26 Annie Ernaux books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: french authors is tagged on 7 of 13. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- French Authors 7 of 13 books
- Authors, French 4 of 13 books
- Biography 4 of 13 books
- France 4 of 13 books
- Authors, biography 3 of 13 books
- Diaries 3 of 13 books
- Romance 3 of 13 books
- Romance literature 3 of 13 books
- 20th century 2 of 13 books
- Alzheimer's disease 2 of 13 books
- Écrivains français 2 of 13 books
- Man-woman relationships 2 of 13 books