A Leopard-Skin Hat
France

A Leopard-Skin Hat

by Anne Serre

Summary

Some people remain impossible to understand, no matter how deeply we love them. In this intimate, unconventional novel, an unnamed narrator recounts his lifelong friendship with Fanny, a brilliant, rebellious, and deeply troubled woman whose inner world remains beyond his grasp. Bound to her by affection and concern, he witnesses her struggle with profound psychological difficulties, moving between moments of hope and periods of despair. Yet Fanny refuses to be reduced to her suffering: she is unpredictable, spirited, and fiercely individual. Told through brief, lyrical scenes, the novel explores the fragile boundaries between love and helplessness, understanding and mystery. Written in the wake of the death of Serre’s younger sister, this moving work becomes both a tribute to a life cut short and a meditation on grief, memory, and the limits of our ability to truly know another person.

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Anne Serre
Anne Serre

Anne Serre is a French novelist born in Bordeaux in 1960. Known for her distinctive, imaginative prose, she has written numerous works of fiction that blur the boundaries between reality, memory, and invention. Her first novel, Les Gouvernantes (The Governesses), was published in 1992 and established her reputation for an original literary voice. Serre received the Cino Del Duca Foundation award in 2008 and won the Prix Goncourt de la Nouvelle in 2020 for her short-story collection Au cœur d’un été tout en or. Her writing often explores the complexity of human relationships and the elusive nature of identity. A Leopard-Skin Hat, translated into English by Mark Hutchinson, was shortlisted for the 2025 International Booker Prize, bringing renewed international attention to her work.

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Published
2008
Author
Anne Serre