Virginie Despentes is an award-winning author and filmmaker and a noted French feminist and cultural critic. She is the author of many award-winning books, including Apocalypse Baby (winner of the 2010 Prix Renaudot) and Vernon Subutex (winner of the Anaïs-Nin Prize 2015, Prix Landerneau 2015, Prix La Coupole 2015, and finalist—in Frank Wynne’s English translation—for the 2018 Man Booker International Prize). She also codirected the screen adaptations of her controversial novels Baise-Moi and Bye Bye Blondie.