Sébastien Japrisot (4 July 1931 – 4 March 2003) was a French author, screenwriter and film director, born in Marseille. His pseudonym was an anagram of Jean-Baptiste Rossi, his real name. Japrisot has been nicknamed "the Graham Greene of France".
Famous in the Francophony, he was little known in the English-speaking world, though a number of his novels have been translated into English and have been made into films.
Sébastien Japrisot made his mark as an author at seventeen, when his novel Les Mal Partis was published in France and America. He followed this with outstanding translations of J. D. Salinger's novels. He pursued a successful career in advertising and publicity.
In 1962, he had an intriguing idea for a crime novel. As he did not feel easy about his entry into this new field he used an anagram of his own name as his pseudonym. However, the reception of The 10.30 from Marseille left no one in doubt that a great crime writer had made his debut. The book was quickly made into a film by Costa-Gavras starring Yves Montand, Simone Signoret, Catherine Allégret, Jacques Perrin, etc.
His second mystery was Trap for Cinderella. This won the Grand Prix de Littérature policière for 1963. The film starred Dany Carrel, and Madeleine Robinson.
He followed this with The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun, which won him a second major French award - Le Prix d'Honneur 1966. In England it won the Crime Writer's Association Silver Dagger awarded for the best Thriller published in the United Kingdom in 1968 by a foreign writer.
He was a scriptwriter and film director. One Deadly Summer was made into a film starring Isabelle Adjani. A Very Long Engagement was an international bestseller and won the Prix Interallié.
Les Mal Partis - Prix de l'Unanimité 1966 (as J.-B. Rossi, Éd. Originale Robert Laffont, 1950)
Visages de l'amour et de la haine (as J.-B. Rossi, in Réalités n° 57,1950)
L'Odyssexe (illustrated album by Trez, as J.-B. Rossi, Éd. Originale Denoël, 1965)
L'Été meurtrier - Prix des Deux-Magots 1978, Prix de l'Académie suédoise 1978 (Éd. Originale Denoël, 1977). NB : film adaptation by Jean Becker, with Isabelle Adjani, Alain Souchon
La Passion des femmes (Éd. Originale Denoël, 1986)
Un long dimanche de fiançailles, Prix Interallié 1991 (Éd. Originale Denoël, 1991). NB : film adaptation by Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
Crime novels
Compartiment tueurs (Éd. Originale Denoël, coll. "Crime/club" n° 203, 1962). NB : film adaptation by Costa-Gavras, with Simone Signoret and Yves Montand,
Piège pour Cendrillon - Grand Prix de littérature policière 1963 (Éd. Originale Denoël, coll. "Crime/club" n° 209, 1963). NB : film adaptation by André Cayatte,
La Dame dans l'auto avec des lunettes et un fusil (Éd. Originale Denoël, 1966). NB : film adaptation by Anatole Litvak.
Screenplays
La Machine à parler d'amour (as J.-B. Rossi, L'Avant-scène cinéma n° 66, 01/1967)
Adieu l'ami (Éd. Originale Denoël, 1968). NB : directed by Jean Vautrin, with Charles Bronson and Alain Delon,
La Course du lièvre à travers les champs (Éd. Originale Denoël, 1972). NB : directed by René Clément, with Emmanuelle Béart.
Le Passager de la pluie (Éd. Originale Denoël, 1992). NB : directed by René Clément.
Translations in French
Hopalong Cassidy entre en jeu (Hopalong Cassidy With the Trail Herd), novel by Clarence E. Mulford as Robert Huart (Éd. Originale Robert Laffont, coll. "Arizona" n° 1, 1951)
Hopalong Cassidy et la couvée de l’aigle (Hopalong Cassidy With the Eagle’s Brood), novel by Clarence E. Mulford, as Robert Huart (Éd. Originale Robert Laffont, coll. "Arizona" n° 2, 1951).
Hopalong Cassidy trouve un double (Hopalong Cassidy Returns), novel by Clarence E. Mulford, as Robert Huart (Éd. Originale Robert Laffont, coll. "Arizona" n° 3, 1951)
Hopalong Cassidy : les Hors-la-loi de West Fork (Hopalong Cassidy and the Rustlers of West Fork, 1951), novel by Louis L'Amour, as Robert Huart (Éd. Originale Robert Laffont, coll. "Arizona" n° 6, 1951). (NB : the name of the author in the main title is "Tex Burns")
Pistes dans la nuit (Trails by Night), novel by Tom J. Hopkins, as Robert Huart (Éd. Originale Robert Laffont, coll. "Arizona" n° 7, 1951).
Hopalong Cassidy et les Compagnons du ranch 20 (Hopalong Cassidy, Bar 20, Rides Again) novel by Clarence E. Mulford, as Robert Huart (Éd. Originale Robert Laffont, coll. "Arizona" n° 8, 1951).
Hopalong Cassidy : le Shérif de Twin River (Hopalong Cassidy serves a write), novel by Clarence E. Mulford (Éd. Originale Robert Laffont, coll. "Arizona" n° 10, 1952).
Hopalong Cassidy : (Meurtres sur) la Piste des sept pins (Hopalong Cassidy and the Trail to Seven Pines, 1951), novel by Louis L'Amour, as Robert Huart (Éd. Originale Robert Laffont, coll. "Arizona" n° 11, 1952).
La Poursuite blanche (Murder in the Outlands), novel by James Beardsley Hendryx, as Robert Huart (Éd. Originale Robert Laffont, coll. "Arizona" n° 12, 1952).
Hopalong Cassidy : Panique à Tasotal (Hopalong Cassidy and the Riders of High Rock, 1951), novel by Louis L'Amour as Robert Huart (Éd. Originale Robert Laffont, coll. "Arizona" n° 14, 1952).
Hopalong Cassidy : l’Inquiétant tireur (Hopalong Cassidy : Trouble Shooter, 1952), novel by Louis L'Amour, as Robert Huart (Éd. Originale Robert Laffont, coll. "Arizona" n° 16, 1953)
L'Attrape-C?urs (The Catcher in the Rye, novel by J. D. Salinger (Éd. Originale Robert Laffont, coll. « Pavillons », 1953)
Mais... qui a tué Harry ? (The Trouble with Harry), novel by Jack Trevor Story (Éd. Originale Robert Laffont, 1956)
Nouvelles (Nine Stories), J. D. Salinger (Éd. Originale Robert Laffont, coll. « Pavillons », 1961)
Collections
Écrit par Jean-Baptiste Rossi (coéd. Denoël-Éditions Robert Laffont, 1987)
1963 : Grand Prix de Littérature policière for Piège pour Cendrillon (Denoël, 1963).
1966 : Prix de l'Unanimité for Les Mal Partis
1966 : Prix d'Honneur for La Dame dans l'auto avec des lunettes et un fusil
1968 : Gold Dagger Award for the Best Crime Novel of the Year 1968 (Best Foreign) - The Crime Writer's Association for The Lady in the Car (Souvenir Press)
1978 : Prix des Deux-Magots for L'Été meurtrier (Denoël, 1977)
1981 : The Martin Beck Award - Svenska Deckarakademin (Académie suédoise) - for Vedergällningen (L'Été meurtrier)
1984 : 'César de la meilleure adaptation cinématographique (Best Original Screenplay) - French Academy of Cinema - for L'Été meurtrier (film de Jean Becker, 1983).
1991 : Prix Interallié for Un long dimanche de fiançailles (Denoël, 1991).
1996 : Adult Great Read (Honorable Mention) - Northern California Independent Booksellers Associated (NCIBA) (USA) for A very long Engagement
