Élisabeth Fanger
Élisabeth Fanger | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1956 Paris, France |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Known for | Memoir "J'avais dix-huit ans" |
Élisabeth Fanger (born 1956) is a French writer recognized for her memoir J'avais dix-huit ans (I was 18), which recounts her life on the run with her bank-robber boyfriend Sid Mohamed Badaoui after a heist in Paris. Their flight led them across Spain, Morocco, and Greece. This narrative was later transformed into the 2004 film À tout de suite (English title: Right Away), directed by Benoît Jacquot.
Biography
Known as Lili, Élisabeth Fanger was an art student from Paris and the daughter of a prosperous French industrialist. Longing to break free from her privileged upbringing, she encountered Sid Mohamed Badaoui ("Bada") in December 1974. Following a botched bank robbery in Paris in February 1975 involving Bada, which resulted in fatalities and a hostage crisis, Fanger provided him shelter and fled France alongside him, accompanied by accomplice André Bellaïche and his partner.
Financing their journey with stolen money, the group traveled through Spain and then to Morocco, Bada's native country. Their alliance ended when Fanger was apprehended by customs officials in Athens, Greece, leaving her stranded without support.
Upon returning to France, she was charged with assisting fugitives and defended by attorney Robert Badinter. After being convicted and sentenced to prison, she was eventually granted a pardon by the president.
In 2004, Fanger released her autobiography concurrently with the film adaptation featuring Isild Le Besco. Presently, she lives in southern France and dedicates her time to psychoanalysis and inventing.