Born in
Barr, A few years after her return to France - where she lived from various agricultural works in Provence and the Alps - Poulain drew on her overseas experiences to help write her first novel,
Le Grand Marin (
Woman at Sea), which was described as a wild, gripping story of one woman’s battle with the elements on board an Alaskan fishing boat. It became a best-seller (70,000 copies sold in the months following its publication) and was awarded numerous literary prizes in 2016, including the
Prix Joseph-Kessel, and the
Ouest France Prize Étonnants Voyageurs. Poulain was also a finalist for the
Prix Goncourt du Premier Roman, but was beaten by four votes to five by
Joseph Andras Her second novel,
Le Cœur blanc, was selected for the
Prix Décembre 2018. == Works ==