{{short description|Swiss poet and writer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2014}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2025}}{{Infobox person | image = Philippe Rahmy 2015.jpg | caption = Rahmy, 2015 | birth_date = {{Birth date|1965|6|5|df=y}} | death_date = {{death date and age|2017|10|1|1965|6|5|df=y}} | occupation = Poet, writer | website = [http://www.rahmyfiction.net www.rahmyfiction.net]}}
'''Philippe Rahmy''' (5 June 1965, in Geneva – 1 October 2017) was a Swiss poet and writer. Rahmy published several collections of poetry and four novels.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2017-08-05 |title=Philippe Rahmy: une vie en forme de montagnes russes |trans-title=Philippe Rahmy: a roller coaster life |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/philippe-rahmy-une-vie-en-forme-de-montagnes-russes/43390208 |access-date=2025-07-14 |website=swissinfo.ch |language=fr}}</ref> Rahmy was also a photographer, short film director, songwriter and also a founding member of the literary site ''remue.net.'' Rahmy won numerous awards for his novels ''Béton armé'' ''(Reinforced Concrete)<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |date=2017-10-01 |title=Philippe Rahmy n’est plus - Le Temps |url=https://www.letemps.ch/culture/livres/philippe-rahmy-nest-plus |access-date=2025-07-14 |language=fr |issn=1423-3967}}</ref>'' and ''Allegra''.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /> Born with brittle bone disease, he was also an active disability activist.<ref name=":0" />
== Early life and education ==
Rahmy was born in Geneva in 1965. He was of Egyptian descent on his father's side.<ref name=":4" /> He suffered from brittle bone disease and spent much of his childhood in and out of hospital.<ref name=":0" /> He attended a Catholic boarding school in Geneva<ref name=":0" /> and then studied the history of art and Egyptology{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}} at the École du Louvre in Paris<ref name=":0" /> before graduating from the University of Lausanne<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Hommage à l’écrivain Philippe Rahmy – Ville de Lausanne |trans-title=Tribute to the writer Philippe Rahmy |url=https://www.lausanne.ch/apps/actualites/index.php?actu_id=43750 |access-date=2025-07-14 |website=Site officiel de la Ville de Lausanne |language=fr}}</ref> in literature and philosophy.{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}}
== Career == Rahmy published several collections of poetry before attending a writer's residency in Shanghai.<ref name=":0" /> This was followed by his first novel ''Reinforced Concrete'', inspired by his time in Shanghai,<ref name=":0" /> a second novel, ''Allegra'', set in London before the Olympic Games,<ref name=":0" /> a third novel, ''Monarchs'', published in August 2017.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2017-10-02 |title=L'écrivain lausannois Philippe Rahmy s'est éteint dimanche |trans-title=Lausanne writer Philippe Rahmy died on Sunday |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/l-%C3%A9crivain-lausannois-philippe-rahmy-s-est-%C3%A9teint-dimanche/43563134 |access-date=2025-07-14 |website=swissinfo.ch |language=fr}}</ref> Rahmy was working on his fourth novel, ''Pardon for America'', about prisoners who have been wrongfully convicted<ref name=":0" /> when he died. His books have been published in France, USA, Italy, Switzerland and China.{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}}
Rahmy was also a founding member of the prominent French literary site ''[https://remue.net remue.net]'',<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Caminade |first=Emmanuelle |date=2023-04-22 |title=Philippe Rahmy, Le voyageur de cristal, de Lou Lepori |trans-title=Philippe Rahmy, The Crystal Traveller, by Lou Lepori |url=https://l-or-des-livres-blog-de-critique-litteraire.over-blog.com/2023/04/philippe-rahmy-le-voyageur-de-cristal-de-lou-lepari.html |access-date=2025-07-14 |website=L'Or des livres |language=fr}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> focused on promoting contemporary literature over the internet and through live events.{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}} Philippe Rahmy was also active as a photographer and a director of independent short films. He also wrote songs for the rock band ''I Need My Gasoline''.{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}}
Before his death, he had been working on a literary and multimedia project about [http://d-fiction.fr/2013/01/la-ville-abandonnee-the-abandoned-city/ abandoned cities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003075259/http://d-fiction.fr/2013/01/la-ville-abandonnee-the-abandoned-city/ |date=3 October 2017 }}<ref name=":4" /> The collaborative writing project was to be hosted on D-FICTION<ref name=":4" /> before finding a dedicated open website platform gathering a range of tools for geolocation, virtual exploration of the landscape, artistic creation, and communication. The project was later to be expanded to visual arts, music, staged arts and street arts, as well as academic productions.
At the time of his death, Rahmy had been working on a fourth novel, ''Pardon pour l'Amérique'' (''Pardon for America)'', about prisoners who have been wrongfully convicted.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> A previously unpublished essay by Rahmy, titled "Prepositions Démocratiques" (Democratic Propositions), was published shortly after his death.<ref name=":1" />
== Awards == Philippe Rahmy was the recipient of multiple literary honours, among them the 2016 Rambert Prize for his second novel, ''Allegra'' and the 2017 Swiss Literature Prize.<ref name=":0" />
== Personal life == Philippe Rahmy met his wife Tanja while they were both in graduate school at the University of Lausanne.<ref name=":0" /> The couple were married for 18 years.<ref name=":0" />
Suffering from osteogenesis imperfecta himself, Rahmy was an active member of several disability-related associations.<ref name=":1" />
== Death == Rahmy died on Sunday 1 October 2017.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> At the time of his death, he had been an authors in residence at the ''Maison de l'écriture'' in Montricher.<ref name=":2" />
== Books == * 2017 : [http://www.editionslatableronde.fr/ouvrage.php?id_ouv=I23594 ''Monarques''], éditions de La Table Ronde, coll. Vermillon * 2016 : [http://www.editionslatableronde.fr/ouvrage.php?id_ouv=I23443 ''Allegra''], éditions de La Table Ronde, coll. Vermillon, January 2016 (awarded the Prix Rambert 2016 and the Swiss Literature Award 2017) * 2015 : [http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Folio/Folio/Beton-arme ''Béton armé''], Collection Folio (n° 5946), Gallimard, 2015 * 2014 : ''Loop Road'', nerval.fr, March 2014 * 2013 : ''Béton armé – Shanghai au corps à corps'', Éditions de La Table Ronde [http://www.editionslatableronde.fr/ Editions Table Ronde - Littérature française et étrangère, essais et documents, beaux livres, La Petite Vermillon], preface Jean-Christophe Rufin de l'Académie française, September 2013 (awarded the Prix Wepler 2013 Mention spéciale du jury // One of the 20 best books of the year 2013, palmarès Lire; Prix Michel-Dentan 2014) * 2013 : ''Corps au miroir'', avec Sabine Oppliger, Encre et lumière, 2013 * 2010 : ''Cheyne, 30 ans, 30 voix'', Livres hors collection, 2010 * 2009 : ''Cellules souches'', avec Stéphane Dussel, [http://motstessonsed.canalblog.com/ Mots tessons], 2009 * 2009 : ''Movimento dalla fine'', a cura di Monica Pavani, [http://www.mobydickeditore.it/ Mobydick], 2009 * 2008 : ''SMS de la cloison'', [http://www.publie.net/ publie.net], 2008 * 2008 : ''Architecture nuit'', texte expérimental, publie.net, 2008 * 2007 : ''Demeure le corps, Chant d'exécration'', [https://web.archive.org/web/20120315163944/http://www.cheyne-editeur.com/auteurs/rahmy.html Cheyne Editeur], 2007 * 2005 : ''Mouvement par la fin, Un portrait de la douleur'', [https://web.archive.org/web/20120315163944/http://www.cheyne-editeur.com/auteurs/rahmy.html Cheyne Editeur], 2005 (postface Jacques Dupin, [http://www.artfiction.ch/charmettes.php Prix des Charmettes – Jean-Jacques Rousseau] 2006)
== Articles == * [http://www.lacouleurdesjours.ch/pdf/cdj_24sommaire.pdf ''La couleur des jours''], "Pardon pour l'Amérique", 31-08-2017, extract of an ongoing novel, written at the foundation Jan Michalski * ''[http://www.specimen.press/articles/pardon-pour-lamerique/ Specimen], The Babel Revue of Translation'', "Pardon pour l'Amérique", fr/eng, transl. by Carla Calimani, 06-2017 * ''[http://enbas.net/index.php?id=viceversa-litterature-numero-112017 Viceversa littérature]'', nr. 11, "Dialogue avec Philippe Rahmy : l'écriture en acte" by Marina Skalova, followed by "retour architecture nuit" by François Bon, 04-2017 * [https://diacritik.com/2017/02/24/le-roi-est-vulnerable-une-fiction-programmatique-par-philippe-rahmy/ ''Diacritik''], "Le roi est vulnérable", 24-02-2017 * Château de Lavigny, 20 ans, anthologie anniversaire, "Le Châtiment", 08-2016 * [https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/suplementos/espectaculos/4-38600-2016-04-19.html ''Página/12''], "Todos tenemos alguna discapacidad", 19-04-2016 * La moitié du fourbi, Nr. 3, "Un portrait du Fayoum", 03-2016 * Le Persil, Special edition dedicated to poetry in the francophone part of Switzerland, "Comme le caméléon, sa langue", 03-2016 * Postface to the book "Kvar lo" from Sabine Huynh (poems, with ink paintings from Caroline François-Rubino), Éditions Æncrages & Co, coll. Écri(peind)re, 2016 * Le Magazine Littéraire, Nr. 541, 03–2014, "Alors, Shanghai?" * Le Magazine Littéraire, Nr. 532, 06–2013, "Paul Auster, le grand entretien"<ref group=pr>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nouveau-magazine-litteraire.com/|title=www.nouveau-magazine-litteraire.com ||website=www.nouveau-magazine-litteraire.com}}</ref> * D-Fiction, 05–2013, "Aran"<ref group=pr>{{cite web |url=http://d-fiction.fr/2013/05/aran-intercalaire-1-aran-spacer-1/ |title=D-Fiction » Aran : intercalaire 1 // Aran : Spacer 1 |website=d-fiction.fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219094151/http://d-fiction.fr/2013/05/aran-intercalaire-1-aran-spacer-1/ |archive-date=2013-12-19}}</ref> * Art+Politique, 2012, "Du partage des richesses"<ref group=pr>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kunst-und-politik.ch/pagina.php?1,515,3,|title=Campagne Mendicité - Art et politique}}</ref> * Lieux d'Être, N°51, printemps 2011, "Il ne suffit pas de bégayer" * Viceversa Littérature, N°5 (2011), "Château Solitude"<ref group=pr>{{Cite web|url=http://www.culturactif.ch/viceversa/viceversa5fr.htm|title=Viceversa littérature 5/2011|website=www.culturactif.ch}}</ref> * La Revue de Belles-Lettres, 134e année, numéro 1–2 2010, "Un terrain parmi d'autres"<ref group=pr>{{Cite web|url=http://www.larevuedebelleslettres.ch/index.php?titre=2&id_auteur=142&num=1-2+2010|title=La Revue de Belles-Lettres - accueil|website=www.larevuedebelleslettres.ch}}</ref> * Antilipseis Magazine, mars 2011, in: "Perceptions" * The Black Herald Press, 1st issue, January 2011,<ref group=pr>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211208/7xVS2pTXTSg Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20160809192225/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xVS2pTXTSg Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xVS2pTXTSg| title = ΑΝΤΙΛΗΨΕΙΣ - PERCEPTIONS | website=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref group=pr>{{Cite web|url=https://www.calameo.com/read/0004709157335e99f2e97|title=THE BLACK HERALD, n°1 Excerpts / Extraits|website=calameo.com}}</ref> * revue China Dolls, Beijing, été 2010, "The Glory of the body", * revue Hétérographe N°4, automne 2010, Sandra Moussempès, Photogénie des ombres peintes * revue fario, May/June 2009, " La vie sauve "<ref group=pr>{{Cite web|url=https://campagne.editionsfario.fr/revue/fario-7/|title=Fario 7 · Éditions fario|website=Éditions fario}}</ref> * revue Faire Part, " Caroline Sagot Duvauroux, Vol-ce-l'est, l'autre chose ", avril 2009 * participation au catalogue d'exposition du peintre Winfried Veit, avril 2009 * revue Viola, " Solitudine publica ", mars 2009 * revue Hétérographe, " Solitude publique ", mars 2009 * revue Action restreinte, " Kit & Scat Song ", février 2009 * François Bon, " Tu marchais dans la maison des morts, vidéo ",<ref group=pr>{{cite web |url=http://www.tierslivre.net/faceB/spip.php?article121 |title=carnets du dedans {{!}} inventions : tu marchais dans la maison des morts (avec Philippe Rahmy) |website=www.tierslivre.net |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929113050/http://www.tierslivre.net/faceB/spip.php?article121 |archive-date=2011-09-29}}</ref> dans : " François Bon, éclats de réalité ", Dominique Viart et Jean-Bernard Vray (eds), PU de Saint Etienne 2008 * Joë Bousquet, " Mystique ", dans : Joë Bousquet, " Maigre nudité du soir ", éditions de l'Atelier du Gué 2008 * revue Lieux d'Être N° 45, " Naître détruit ", 2007 * revue Faire Part N° 20–21, " Coudrier, une gravure à la Manière noire ", dans : " Matière d'Origine : Jacques Dupin ", 2007 * Aral, dans : " Jean-Marie Barnaud, Pour saluer la bienvenue ", Bibliothèque municipale de Charleville-Mézières 2002
== Short movies == Phil Rahmy displayed his vision as a director and award-winning independent short film producer through his later productions which were being distributed and viewed globally. ''Later viewings'' * Uplink Factory, video festival, official selection of Swiss short films (OBLO), "The Body remains", Tokyo, Japan, 2011. * Gallery Arts-en-l'Ile, projection of "M.R.I. ", curator Penelope Petsini, Geneva, Switzerland, 2010 * Special Prize of the Jury at the Oblò Underground Short Film Festival, "The Body remains", Lausanne, Switzerland, 2009 * Museum of Modern Arts (MAMCO), projection of "M.R.I"., Geneva, Switzerland, 2009 * Festival Côté Court 2008, official selection of "The Body remains", Cinéma 104, Pantin, France, 2008. * Un festival c'est trop court, programm FILMS D'ICI, official selection, "The Body remains", Nice, France, 2008. * Official Selection for exhibition in the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival, "The Body remains", New York February, Manhattan, NYC, 2008.
== Photography == His photographic work concentrated on the human body and the topic of so-called "normality".
''Later expos'' * Photovision 2011, exposition of the series "The Glory of the Body", in collaboration with Antilipseis Magazine of Photography. At the end of 2011, the expo will be part of the Athens School of Fine Arts fund, Athens, Greece, 2011. * China Dolls Magazine, "Body & Norm", Beijing, China, 2010. * Special Prize of the Jury at the Oblò Underground Short Film Festival, "The Body remains", Lausanne, Switzerland, 2009 * Universal Exposition of Shanghai, "Immobility and Movement", FFA Pavilion, Shanghai, China, 2010 * Revue d'Ici Là, Online Art Magazine, France, 2010. * Un festival c'est trop court, programm FILMS D'ICI, official selection, "The Body remains", Nice, France, 2008.
== Screenwriting == Phil Rahmy was active as a screenwriter, and has co-founded Wallman Productions, a Hollywood-based independent film and music production company, in association with the famous jazzman Art Johnson.<ref group=pr>{{cite web |url=http://www.art-johnson.com/ |title=Home |website=art-johnson.com}}</ref>
== Distinctions / Grants == * 2006 : Prix des Charmettes/Jean-Jacques Rousseau for "Mouvement par la fin" (Cheyne Editeur, 2005) * 2010 : Lauréat de la bourse d'écriture Pro Helvetia * 2010 : Finaliste Prix FEMS pour la littérature * 2011 : Writer-in-residence, Shanghai Writers Association * 2013 : Prix Wepler Fondation La Poste 2013 Mention spéciale du jury for ''Béton armé'' (Éditions La Table Ronde, 2013) * 2014 : Meilleur récit de voyage - Sélection Lire for ''Béton armé'' (Éditions La Table Ronde, 2013) * 2014 : Prix Pittard de l'Andelyn for ''Béton armé'' (Éditions La Table Ronde, 2013) * 2014 : Prix Dentan for ''Béton armé'' (Éditions La Table Ronde, 2013) * 2015 : Writer-in-residence, [http://www.chateaudelavigny.ch/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Season-20154.pdf Château de Lavigny] * 2016 : Writer-in-residence, Escuela de Otoño de Traducción Literaria en Lenguas Vivas, Buenos Aires<ref group=pr>Escuela de Otoño de Traducción Literaria 2016 http://ieslvf.caba.infd.edu.ar/sitio/index.cgi?wid_seccion=37 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215100105/http://ieslvf.caba.infd.edu.ar/sitio/index.cgi?wid_seccion=37 |date=15 February 2016 }}</ref> * 2016 : Prix Eugène-Rambert for ''Allegra'' (Éditions La Table Ronde, 2016) * 2017 : Swiss Literature Awards for ''Allegra'' (Éditions La Table Ronde, 2016) <ref group=pr>Swiss Office for Culture 2017 http://www.prixlitterature.ch/fr/prix-suisses-litterature-2017/philippe-rahmy/</ref> * 2017 : Writer-in-residence, Fondation Jan Michalski pour l'écriture et la littérature, Montricher, Switzerland <ref group=pr>Fontation Jan Michalski pour l'écriture et la littérature, http://www.fondation-janmichalski.com/residence-pour-ecrivains/residents-2017/</ref>
== References == {{Reflist|30em}}
== Publication references == <small>{{reflist|group=pr}}</small>
== Bibliography == * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120328062230/http://dbserv1-bcu.unil.ch/persovd/auteurvd.php?Code=R&Num=5667 Bibliothèque cantonale universitaire] * [http://remue.net/spip.php?rubrique201 articles by Philippe Rahmy on remue.net] * [http://remue.net/spip.php?rubrique4 texts by Philippe Rahmy on remue.net] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120315163944/http://www.cheyne-editeur.com/auteurs/rahmy.html poetry books edited by Cheyne Editeur] * [http://rahmyfiction.net/ rahmyfiction.net Philippe Rahmy's blog]
== See also == Lepori, Lou. 2023. ''Philippe Rahmy, le voyageur de cristal / Philippe Rahmy, the Crystal Traveler''. Lausanne: Éditions Double ligne, March 9.{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahmy, Philippe}} Category:1965 births Category:2017 deaths Category:Swiss male poets Category:Swiss male novelists Category:People with osteogenesis imperfecta Category:21st-century Swiss novelists Category:21st-century Swiss poets Category:21st-century Swiss male writers Category:People from Geneva Category:Swiss people with disabilities