Jean-Philippe Toussaint's first two plays "Rideau" (1981) and "Les Draps de lit" (1982) and his short novel "Échecs" (1983) have never been published. He is strongly influenced by Samuel Beckett's style and generally by the Nouveau Roman. He wrote his first novel, "La Salle de bain" ("The Bathroom") in 1985 and submitted it to Jérôme Lindon, the influential publisher of Les Éditions de Minuit in Paris, who accepted it and became his exclusive publisher. The novel and its style were critically acclaimed and established Jean-Philippe Toussaint as a young and promising author. Subsequently, he published "Monsieur" (a novel that was earned a large following in Japan and Asia) and "L'Appareil-photo" in the late 1980s which confirmed his status as a writer and allowed him to start a parallel career as a filmmaker. He directed two movies soon after: "Monsieur" (1990)—distinguished by the André Cavens Award—and "La Sévillane" (1992).