Francois Begaudeau published his book Entre Les Murs in 2006; part autobiography, part fiction, it tells the story of the experiences of a literature teacher in a difficult junior high school in Paris' multi-cultural and often troubled inner city. At the start of the academic year, he introduces himself to the new class and tries to reach out to each of them individually, which is a hard task because many do not trust adults and are defensive of their emotions, even if they have the ability to process them. Typically, it is the "problem" students who take up most of his time, as he treads a careful path through lives riddled with violence, education and language barriers, and racial tension between students. This merely strengthens his resolve to break through these barriers and really make a difference to the lives of his students.
Translated literally, the title means "between the walls" and is symbolic of the way in which Begaudeau's views of the children he taught were based entirely on time spent with them between the walls of the classroom, and not on what was happening in their lives outside. However, when the novel was published in translation, it was entitled simply The Class.
Entre Les Murs was adapted for the big screen in 2008 under the direction of Laurent Cantet, who felt a special kinship with the protagonist of the book because both of his parents were school teachers. The film was the recipient of the prestigious Palm d'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. Begaudau not only worked on the screenplay of the film but also starred in it, making sure that it really represented his original intention in its creation.
Begaudeau remained connected to the movie industry after the success of the film; he contributes to several movie columns and is the movie critic for the French version of Playboy magazine.
