The University of Nebraska Press is pleased to extend its sincere congratulations to Annie Ernaux, winner of this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature.

UNP published Ernaux’s Do What They Say or Else this month.

Do What They Say or Else, translated by Christopher Beach and Carrie Noland, tells the story of a fifteen-year-old girl named Anne, who lives with her working-class parents. The story, which takes place during the summer and fall of Anne’s transition from middle school to high school, is narrated in a stream-of-consciousness style from her point of view. Not only must she navigate the often-confusing signals she receives from boys, but she also finds herself moving further and further away from her parents as she surpasses their educational level and worldview.

UNP has previously published another one of Ernaux’s works, Things Seen (Nebraska, 2010) translated by Jonathan Kaplansky, as part of the French Voices Series.

The Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to previous authors published by UNP. 2014 winner Patrick Modiano is the author of Out of the Dark. J.M. G. Le Clézio, who won the 2008 Prize, is the author of UNP titles Onitsha, The Round and Other Cold Hard Facts, and Mondo and Other Stories. 2009 winner Herta Müller is the author of Nadirs, and Mario Vargas Llosa, the 2010 winner, contributed to our soccer anthology, The Global Game.