Belgian author and filmer, born in Brussels. He spent a large part of his youth in Paris, where he eventually also came to study political science and contemporary history. In 1982-84 he lived in Algeria, teaching French. It was also here that he began writing what would become his debut novel, The Bathroom (1985, La salle de bain). Jean-Philippe Toussaint has periodically also lived on Corsica, in Madrid, in Berlin and then in Tokyo, which also sets the stage for his novel Running Away (2005, Fuir).