Virginie Greiner was born in
Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France.[2] She studied law then worked for a time in bookshops and collaborated with
BoDoï [
fr],[3] a monthly magazine devoted to comics. In 2004, she wrote a short story in the collection Fées, Sorcières et Diablesses.[3][4] Greiner frequently features heroines "whose merits are often overlooked or understated".[1] A committed feminist, she is part of the
collective of female comics creators against sexism[5] and campaigns for gender equality in the world of
bande dessinée.[1]
In 2005, joining forces with
Annabel [
fr], Greiner published her first album with the publisher, Clair de Lune, Willow Place, which was inspired by "the spiritualist writings of
Arthur Conan Doyle".[5] The following year, she wrote the texts for a collection of collective illustrations, En mâle de nus, which received a mixed critical reception.[6][7]
In collaboration with her husband,
Frank Giroud, Greiner co-wrote the script for the first volume of the Secrets series (2009), drawn by
Marianne Duvivier, Pâques avant les Rameaux.[8] Both are also writers of the second volume of the Destins series (2010), with drawings by
Daphné Collignon.[9] The same year, in tandem with
Christelle Pécout [
fr], Hypathie appeared as the second part of a
diptych entitled Sorcières, which relates to the eponymous character.[10]
She took part in
Delcourt's "Reines de sang" collection with the script for the diptych on
Fredegund, with drawings by Alessia De Vincenzi (2014-16).[11] Greiner resumed collaboration with Collignon to trace the youth of
André Malraux and his wife
Clara Malraux, based on Mrs. Malraux's autobiography: Nos vingt ans; the work is called Avant l'heure du tigre.[12] The two authors published a biography in 2016: Tamara de Lempicka.[13] After this work, Greiner was the guest of honor at the 28th Causons comic book festival in
Cousance.[1] Again in collaboration with Annabel, Greiner created the portrait of
Isabelle Eberhardt, published in 2018.[14] In 2019, Greiner wrote the script for Mata Hari, which offers the biography of the
famous character, with drawings by Olivier Roman.
Selected works
Unless otherwise stated, Greiner is the scriptwriter:
Secrets, vol. 1 : Pâques avant les Rameaux, co-written with
Frank Giroud, designed by Marianne Duvivier,
Dupuis coll. Empreinte(s), February 2009
ISBN978-2-8001-4104-6
En chemin elle rencontre... Les artistes se mobilisent pour l'égalité femme-homme, by Marie Moinard and collective, Vincennes/Paris, Des ronds dans l'O/
Amnesty International, February 2013
ISBN978-2-917237-46-5
Les Reines de sang : Frédégonde la sanguinaire, design by Alessia De Vincenzi, Delcourt, coll. "Histoire & Histoires"