The first literary text of an author is referred to as the first book, although it does not matter whether it has ever been published or not. Thus, for example, the actual first edition could also appear after a possible romance book, and thus be made accessible to the public only later. The first work marks the beginning of the artistic œuvre, while the later divisions of the creative phase – for example in early and late works – are not exactly defined. The filmic counterpart is called Erstlingsfilm.
The term is composed of the first and first names. The first-born child is called the first-born child in the general language. Thus, the term “metaphorically” refers to the fact that a first work is the “first-time work” of an artist.
However, the term is applied partly to other forms of artistic expression and then means any “first work” of an artist. For example, the best debut album (Meilleur premier film) has been awarded as part of the French filmmaker César since 1982 and awards a film.
Sometimes, however, the first works of an artist become a successful bestseller afterwards. For example, the American writer Stephen King tried to find a publisher for his first work, but this failed every time. He later reworked these early works and published them successfully under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.