Belletto, René (b. 1945), French novelist, script-writer, guitar-teacher, poet. His novels (Le Revenant, 1981; Sur la terre comme au ciel, 1982; L'Enfer, 1986, Prix Fémina) combine the suspense of the detective story with humour (word-play, irony, and exaggeration) and sensitive characterization. La Machine (1990), in which two of the characters exchange personalities through technological manipulation, is more sombre, more disturbing, less satisfying.
[Peter Sharratt]
