Livres Hebdo on the forthcoming French literary season

In its feature article on the forthcoming Fall's literary season, the French professional magazine of the book industry Livres Hebdo examines the literary trends and topics that have emerged from the 600+ titles soon to be published (Livres Hebdo number 916, June 29 2012, pp. 82-87):

“ With its traditionally generational novels, its questioning on the couple, its dive into family affairs and its mise-en-abîme of the creation or retranscription of social reality, the 2012 production presents all the great themes that spice up a literary season by analysing our society. Indeed, French fiction is getting more and more irrigated by reality and is trying to tell our contemporary world. Several novels yet distance themselves thanks to the originality of their themes. ”

 

Livres Hebdo further identifies that:

“ Writers use fiction to slide into the lives of historical figures or to take over unknown characters. ”

Agence de l’Est will be concentrating on offering titles in the latter category, novels that present the extraordinary lives and grey areas of historical figures:

Laurent Gaudé, POUR SEUL CORTEGE

The story as seen from the eyes of Drypteis, Hephaestion’s widow, who accompanies Alexander the Great’s body after his death, and of the generals who fight over Alexander's body to take his place.

Warning: this is not a historic novel; this is the continuation of a legend, retelling Drypteis’ story at the time in which she disappears from known history.

 

Yannick Grannec, LA DEESSE DES PETITES VICTOIRES

The life and work of the great Czech mathematician Kurt Gödel, as told by his wife Adele years after his death to a young academic, Anna, whose life will be changed in the process. The epic life of a genius who never learned how to live, and of a woman who only knew how to love.

It is already expected to be one of this Fall’s biggest hits, as said in this article from the French daily Le Figaro last week.

Marc Durin-Valois, LA DERNIERE NUIT DE CLAUDE EATHERLY

The pilot of one of the meteorological reconnaissance planes which led the way of the atomic bomber towards Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

Alice Dekker, CHARDIN, LA PETITE TABLE DE LAQUE ROUGE

At the end of his life, while preparing one of his last exhibitions, Jean Siméon Chardin unveils himself in a moving letter to his son.

 

 

Another noticeable trend that Livres Hebdo highlights is that:

“ It is also what happened during the past year that finds an echo in the imagination of this literary season’s authors. ”

 

The following is an example taken from the article:

“ The international turmoil can be found in Mathias Énard’s novel; the specialist of the Arabic world and of the Middle-East wondered through the characters of RUE DES VOLEURS what it meant to be twenty years old in the times of the Arab Spring. ”

 

Mathias Énard

The last part of the article deals with those novelists who have written theatre plays:

“ The stage is the novelist’s new territory. Four plays written by novelists will be both published and staged in the Fall. ”

Livres Hebdo focuses on four of them: Emmanuelle Pireyre, Amanda Sthers, Laurent Seksik and Laurent Mauvignier.

As far as debuts are concerned (69 first novels are to be published between the end of August and October):

“ These novelists’ favourite subjects are family, insanity, culture and new technologies as agents of the transformation of society. “

 

Agence de l’Est offers some of them:

Pierre Chazal, MARCUS

Before killing herself, Hélène leaves her ten-year-old son in Pierrot’s care. At first he hesitates, confronted by such an unexpected responsibility; but his group of friends do their best to help him raise the child. What follows brings Pierrot to finally believe in happiness.

 

Lucile Bordes, JE SUIS LA MARQUISE DE CARABAS

The touching story of a family of puppetteers' journey across Europe spanning three generations, between the 19^th and 20^th centuries. A story that speaks for all those who struggle with the passing times and our ever-changing world.

 

 

And last but not least:

“ The prize of the longest novel will no doubt be awarded to Sylvie Taussig’s 1,776 pages of DANS LES PLIS SINUEUX DES VIEILLES CAPITALES, published by Galaade. “

Sylvie Taussig

On Culturebox, the blog owned by francetv.fr, the website of the group of national TV channels France Télévisions, Anne Brigaudeau writes:

“ The longest novel of the literary season, DANS LES PLIS SINEUX DES VIEILLES CAPITALES by Sylvie Taussig, is published by a small publishing house of quality, Galaade.

How do they justify such a courageous choice? “We’ve had this novel for five years, says the publishing house. This is a monstrous piece of work where everything converges and a very original style.”

Born in 1969, the author is the translator of the philosopher Hannah Arendt’s works and a researcher at the Centre National d’Etudes Scientifiques (CNRS). Galaade sends to lazy critics an exciting “booklet with the synopsis included” that gives you the itch to dive into this sprawling novel on Paris, a worldly and thousand-year-old city. “

Laurent Gaudé: POUR SEUL CORTEGE

Already hailed as one the 10 must-read novels of this year’s literary season in Livres-Hebdo :

Septembre 2012, 176 pages

            A funeral procession that can’t stop, a stolen body, and a final battle, fought with honor by the Emperor’s most faithful generals: Laurent Gaudé has woven an imaginative tale of the last days of Alexander the Great.

After his victory at Persepolis, Alexander the Great returns victoriously to Babylon, where he celebrates for days on end. But, weakened by the hardships of battle, he is overcome with a terrible pain in his stomach, and falls down in a faint. He hovers between life and death for several days.

Thus begins a parade of generals, and, as soon as Alexander is pronounced dead, a bitter struggle for power. Only a few generals stay true, and head off to fight a final battle against the deceased emperor’s greatest enemy. Although they know it’s a lost cause, they do it to honor his memory.

Meanwhile, Drypteis, Alexander’s sister-in-law, follows the funeral procession, joining the wailing women mourners for months on end. In this way, Drypteis – who gave up her son, the heir to the throne, in order to protect him from the jealousy of those who covet power – hopes to obtain the protection of the Emperor. And Alexander does in fact speak to her. She is the only one who can hear his voice, which orders her to free his body and take it far away from the tomb planned for him, where he believes he will feel trapped. Drypteis manages to discreetly spirit the body away, thus liberating Alexander. But, having lost her own will to live, she swallows a poison that renders her semi-conscious. She is not dead, but is able only to bear witness by describing everything she sees. Keeping watch over her son, she becomes an eyewitness to Alexander’s last battle, the one his faithful generals fight in his name, since the Emperor can’t die.

A magnificent tale that immerses us in a mystical and sacred world and, thanks to the writing style, brings the thought and lyricism of the Age of Alexander back to life.

            Laurent Gaudé, novelist, short-story writer and playwright, was born in 1972. His most notable books include LA MORT DU ROI TSONGOR (2002 Goncourt des lycéens Prize; 2003 Libraires Prize) and LE SOLEIL DES SCORTA (2004 Goncourt Prize and Jean-Giono Prize).

~~~~~~

Alexandre le Grand va mourir. Qui lui succédera à la tête du royaume ? Qui perpétuera l’insatiable esprit de conquête qui l’a animé ? Qui saura apaiser son âme ?

Après avoir combattu et soumis les Grecs, les Phéniciens, les Égyptiens et les Perses, après avoir mené son armée jusqu’à l’Indus, Alexandre de Macédoine est de retour à Babylone, d’où il prépare de nouvelles expéditions et rêve à de prochaines conquêtes. Lors d’une soirée de fête, il est terrassé par une terrible fièvre qui s’installe et s’aggrave. Alexandre va mourir, mais il ne le sait pas, il ne le veut pas. Ses généraux se pressent autour de lui, redoutant la fin et préparant déjà la suite.

Dryptéis, fille de Darius, héritière de la dynastie achéménide et veuve d’Héphaistion – com­pagnon d’armes et meilleur ami d’Alexandre –, s’est retirée du monde pour protéger son jeune fils des vicissitudes que lui promettait son ascendance royale. C’est pourtant elle que le destin appelle et choisit pour accompagner Alexandre dans son dernier voyage.

Un autre personnage approche de Babylone au grand galop, c’est Ericléops, envoyé par Alexandre vers le lointain Orient pour défier le souverain indien Dhana Nanda. Il est de retour de mission, il arrive aussi vite qu’il le peut car peut-être son message est-il de nature à infléchir le cours des choses.

Tandis que les diadoques se partagent le royaume et salissent la mémoire de leur maître par l’expression violente de leurs rivalités, les fidèles les plus inattendus vont rendre à Alexandre l’hommage qu’il mérite et apaiser son âme : la douloureuse Dryptéis, Ericléops qu’on n’attendait plus, Af-Ashra l’enfant de l’Indu-Kuch et quelques autres…

Le devoir et l’ambition, l’amour et la loyauté, le deuil et l’errance mènent les personnages vers ce qui doit advenir, avec une puissance tragique qui se mêle ici au rêve et même au fantastique. Laurent Gaudé renoue avec le souffle épique qui a fait son succès et s’empare d’une figure qui le fascine depuis toujours pour prolonger son aventure. Qu’est-ce qu’un héros ? Un homme qui a accompli de hauts faits, un demi-dieu qui ne meurt jamais. Et de cette éternité il peut rendre grâce à ses exploits réels mais aussi – mais surtout – à tous les autres que lui ont prêtés au fil des siècles les artistes et les poètes qui, en complétant son histoire, participent à sa légende. L’Alexandre de Laurent Gaudé n’est jamais si grand que dans la mort, de même que l’Histoire n’est jamais si belle que transfigurée par la poésie du mythe.

Romancier, nouvelliste et dramaturge né en 1972, Laurent Gaudé est notamment l’auteur de CRIS (2001), LA MORT DU ROI TSONGOR (2002, prix Goncourt des lycéens 2002, prix des Libraires 2003), LE SOLEIL DES SCORTA (2004, prix Goncourt 2004, prix Jean-Giono 2004), ELDORADO (2006), DANS LA NUIT MOZAMBIQUE (2007), A PORTE DES ENFERS (2008), OURAGAN (2010) et LES OLIVIERS DU NEGUS (2011).

Advanced information on the forthcoming 2012 literary season in France

In relation to our tweet earlier on today (entitled "For French speakers : premières infos sur la rentrée littéraire 2012 : http://url.exen.fr/58229/" @AgDelEst)

Here is the translation of a few excerpts of the article from national daily Le Figaro on the forthcoming 2012 literary season in France:

“According to the professional magazine of the French publishing world, Livres Hebdo, 646 French and foreign novels will be published between mid-August and mid-October. A careful literary critic would have to read ten books a day during two months to read them all! On a more serious level, this number shows that the crisis also hurts the publishing world: the 2012 production is inferior to those of 2010 and 2011.

An even stronger sign: less and less first novels are being published. In 2012, only 69 new authors have had the luck to be chosen by the publishing houses; they were 121 in 2004.”

(…)

The article mentions the forthcoming novel of Laurent Gaudé (Prix Goncourt 2004) :

POUR SEUL CORTEGE by Laurent Gaudé: Alexander the Great is going to die. To succeed him, the empire needs a man who is conducted by the same spirit of conquest…

(…)

The article mentions a first novel that we are most proud to represent :

“Another novel which is likely to be a success: LA DEESSE DES PETITES VICTOIRES, written by a young woman, Yannick Grannec. The synopsis: in 1980 at the University of Princeton, the librarian Anna Roth is given the responsibility of recovering the archives of the mathematician Kurt Gödel. She has to tame the nagging widow who, above all expectations, does not reject her but sets rules. Aware that she will soon die, she is even willing to tell a story that no one has ever wanted to hear.

This presentation has already seduced Pocket [a major mass-market paperback publisher in France], which is said to have paid a lot…”