Florence Seyvos began her career translating children’s books for Gallimard. In 1989, “without really believing in it myself,” her editor Geneviève Brisac encouraged her to publish her first novel for teenagers, Comme au Cinéma. A year later, she changed publishers to follow her mentor. The publishing house L’Ecole des Loisirs, a launching pad for young talent, welcomed her with open arms.  Florence was given a job writing back-cover blurbs and introductions, leaving her enough free time to write L’Erreur de Pascal, Sans Enthousiasme and La Nuit Chez Salomé. “The books taught me to choose my words carefully: children lose interest easily, so every word counts.” In 1992, Florence made the leap, quite naturally, with Gratia, a novel published by Editions de l’Olivier. Gratia recounts the icy “rapport” between a maid – a dusting fanatic and mistress of meaningful silences – and a crippled elderly woman who reigns over a house with 43 windows. The house has a strange atmosphere, where, after the death of a goldfish, four or five little children also die.  “Writing seemed surreal to me; I didn’t think I’d manage it – working at something I loved seemed too easy.” But Florence Seyvos is a huge success! Her novel Apparitions, selected by the Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation, recounts the adventures of Sophie, who is parachuted into a village in Eastern Europe for a few days. The village has become a place of pilgrimage since four children started seeing the Virgin Mary each day at 6:47 pm. “To be honest, I thought that the jury would find my idea really strange!” Strange, perhaps, but bursting with sensitivity, fun and spot-on observation.

Achievements since winning the grant
In 1994, Florence Seyvos published Les Apparitions with L’Oliver, and won the Goncourt First Novel prize and the Prix Littéraire de France Télévision.
In 1996, she published Pochée with L’Ecole des Loisirs.
In 1999, she helped write a number of TV and cinema scripts. She co-wrote the script for La Vie Ne Me Fait Pas Peur with Noémie Lvooski.
In 2002, she published L’Abandon with L’Olivier.
In 2003, she published L'Ami du Petit Dinosaure with L’Ecole des Loisirs.
In 2007, she published Jean l’Impitoyable with L’Ecole des Loisirs.