Maxime Chattam
Illustration — Maxime Chattam Maxime Drouot, known by his pen name Maxime Chattam or Maxime Williams, is a French novelist who, after studying criminology, specialized in writing crime novels.
Also recorded as Maxime Drouot · Maxime Williams
Maxime Chattam
Jean-Marie David · I, Dinkley · Jean-Marie David (own work) · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Full name
- Maxime Drouot.
- Born
- 1976. · Herblay-sur-Seine.
- Nationality
- France.
- Occupation
- writer.
- Education
- Cours Simon and Paris North University.
- Languages
- French and English.
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Documentary summary
Illustration — Maxime Chattam Maxime Drouot, known by his pen name Maxime Chattam or Maxime Williams, is a French novelist who, after studying criminology, specialized in writing crime novels.
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Maxime Chattam (born 1976) is a French writer. The writer was born Maxime Drouot in Herblay-sur-Seine. Maxime Chattam is also known as Maxime Williams. Maxime Chattam studied at Cours Simon, Paris North University and Sorbonne Paris North University. Languages used include English and French.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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wikidata · Q570706 · wikipedia · Maxime Chattam
In this article
Biography
Biography
His father worked for a magazine as an artistic director while his mother was an executive secretary Throughout his childhood Chattam would frequently visit the United States. His first visit was to Portland, Oregon which would later inspire his first novel. He completed his schooling at lycée Montesquieu à Herblay, continuing to Sorbonne Paris North University. During his childhood, he wanted to become an actor. He took comedy courses at Cours Simon in Paris. In 1988, he spent some time in the Thai jungle. While there he wrote a diary, which would become his first experience with writing. He continued writing into the early 1990s. His first literary essays were inspired by the Stephen King film Stand by Me. He drafted his first novel, Le Coma des mortels, which tells the story of a young man fallen into a coma following an accident, which is later revealed as an attempted murder. He resumed his studies, focused on modern literature. He wrote Le Cinquième Règne, published in 2003 under the pen name Maxime Williams. It would go on to win the fantastic novel prize at the festival de Gérardmer. He then spent a year studying criminology at the université de Saint-Denis. Over the course of this year, he would learn the basics of criminal psychology, police science and techniques, and medical jurisprudence. amedumalL'Âme du mal (published in 2002, under the pen name « Chattam », inspired by a small town in Louisiana) recounts an investigation by Joshua Brolin, ex-FBI agent turned Portland Police officer, aided by a young psychology student. A killer seems to have revived his mutilated victims through a ritual only leaving clues from a black Bible. The second installment in the trilogy following Joshua Brolin is In Tenebris (published in 2003) set in a dark and gritty New York. A woman found traumatized claims that she has come back from Hell. Officer Annabel O'Donnel leads the investigation, helped by a decommissioned Brolin. In Maléfices (published in 2004), Brolin and O'Donnel face off against a serial killer who mummifies their victims in a spider web. From 2008 onward, he published the Otherland saga (Autre-Monde in French), a series of post-apocalyptic fantasy novels that begins with an unexplained catastrophe known as the Storm, an exceptionally violent hurricane accompanied by strange luminous phenomena rising from the ground, which completely transforms the planet and its ecosystems. Following this event, human civilization collapses, technology ceases to function, and adults either disappear or are transformed into dangerous and hostile beings, while adolescents appear to be the only ones spared, without understanding why. In this radically altered world, they must—particularly in the first three volumes—survive, organize themselves, and seek the origin of the Storm, while confronting an environment that has become extremely hazardous, with both human and non-human threats. Otherworld/Autre-Monde is enjoying massive success in Europe. promesseHe would later write a prequel to the trilogy, La Promesse des ténèbres. This novel follows Brady O'Donnel, husband of Annabel O'Donnel. In 2019, his editor indicated he had sold 7 million copies of his work since 2001. Chattam is a member of the art collective La Ligue de l'Imaginaire.
Personal life
Personal life
Maxime Chattam is married to Faustine Bollaert. They have one daughter and one son.
Trilogy of Evil
Trilogy of Evil
• L'Âme du mal, Michel Lafon « Thriller », 2002 Grand prix Sang d'encre 2002 • In Tenebris, Michel Lafon « Thriller », 2003 • Maléfices, Michel Lafon « Thriller », 2004 • Spin-off: La Promesse des ténèbres, Albin Michel, 2009
The Cycle of Man and Truth
The Cycle of Man and Truth
• Les Arcanes du chaos, Albin Michel « Spécial suspense », 2006 • Prédateurs, Albin Michel « Spécial suspense », 2007 • La Théorie Gaïa, Albin Michel « Spécial suspense », 2008
The Diptych of Time
The Diptych of Time
• Léviatemps, Albin Michel, 2010. • Le Requiem des abysses, Albin Michel, 2011.
Ludivine Vancker
Ludivine Vancker
• La Conjuration primitive, Albin Michel, 2012 • La Patience du diable, Albin Michel, 2014 • L'Appel du néant, Albin Michel, 2017 • La Constance du prédateur, Albin Michel, 2022
Autre Monde
Autre Monde
Cycle 1: The Alliance of the Three • L'Alliance des Trois (2008) • Malronce (2009) • Le Coeur de la Terre (2010) Cycle 2: The Breath of Shadow • Entropia (2011) • Oz (2012) • Neverland (2013) Final Volume • Genèse (2016) Spin-off / Side story: • Ambre (2016) – focuses on the backstory of the heroine Ambre.
Independent novels
Independent novels
• Le Cinquième Règne, sous le pseudonyme de Maxime Williams - Prix du Roman Fantastic'Arts du Festival de Gérardmer 2003, Masque GF, 2003 • Le Sang du temps, Michel Lafon, coll. « Thriller », 2005 • Que ta volonté soit faite, Albin Michel, 2015 • Le Coma des mortels, Albin Michel, 2016 • Le Signal, Albin Michel, 2018 • Un(e)secte, Albin Michel, 2019 • L'Illusion, Albin Michel, 2020 • Le Mal, 1995 (Disponible sur le site officiel)
Graphic novels
Graphic novels
• La Trilogie du mal. Volume 1, Le Bourreau de Portland / scénario Maxime Chattam; dessin Michel Montheillet. Coéd. Jungle - Michel Lafon, 2012, 44 p. • La Trilogie du mal. Volume 2, Écrit sur les portes de l'enfer / scénario Maxime Chattam; dessin Michel Montheillet. Coéd. Jungle - Michel Lafon, 2013, 54 p. • La Trilogie du mal. Volume 3, L'Âme du mal / scénario Maxime Chattam; dessin Michel Montheillet; couleurs Brett Smit. Coéd. Jungle - Michel Lafon, 2016, 56 p.
Prefaces
Prefaces
Screenplays and directing 2012: Terreur, short film directed with Sébastien Drouin 2014: La Collection: Writing for… One’s Thirties as Seen by Writers — short film, Par acquis de conscience
Adaptations
Adaptations
• L'âme du mal: téléfilm de 2011, inspiré de son roman • Le signal: série en préparation annoncée début avril 2022 par l'auteur sur Twitter
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
Maxime Chattam was recorded at birth as Maxime Drouot. He also worked under the names Maxime Chattam and Maxime Williams. The authorities additionally record the headings Maxime Drouot and Maxime Williams. His recorded languages were French and English. He married Faustine Bollaert.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1976
Maxime Chattam born at Herblay-sur-Seine.
Primary material
Documents and archives
scholarly publication
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q570706: Maxime Chattam
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Maxime Chattam”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Média, Prisma. Maxime Chattam - La biographie de Maxime Chattam avec Gala.fr. Gala.fr.
- 2.https://www.humanite.fr/culture-et-savoir/gerardmer/maxime-chattam-cest-la-deception-face-au-monde-qui-ma-pousse-a-ecrire-699398
- 3.https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/lautre-monde-de-maxime-chattam-1504264
- 4.Maxime Chattam : "J'ai 17 romans quasiment prêts". Le Parisien. 27 October 2018.
- 5.Bruno Corty. Maxime Chattam, l'héritier du King. Le Figaro. 2019-01-02.
- 6.Faustine Bollaert: C'est une fille!. Gala. 19 July 2013.
- 7.Maxime Chattam et Faustine Bollaert : leur deuxième bébé est arrivé !. Metronews. 26 July 2015.
- 8.https://www.gala.fr/stars_et_gotha
- 9.Julie Malaure. "Léviatemps", par Chattam l'éventreur. Le Point. 2011.
- 10.Julie Malaure. Trois raisons de lire Chattam. Le Point. 2011.
- 11.Et dans ce temps, une vie bascule, sur le site des Chattamistes
- 12.Frankenstein : l'édition limitée du manuscrit de Mary Shelley, aux éditions Saints Pères, avec Maxime Chattam. June 2018.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
Institutional witnessInstitutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q570706: Maxime ChattamWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
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