Guest of the morning of Europe 1, Wednesday, the author of thrillers evoked the parallel sometimes drawn between our dailies at the time of the coronavirus crisis and certain fantastic or science fiction scenarios, which had anticipated pandemics ... With a major difference, according to him: in the books, "we play with our fears, we do not suffer them".
INTERVIEW
Entire countries confined, travel prohibited and compulsory masks: a year ago, these measures, which have become our daily lives, would have seemed to us to be part of the scenario of a fantasy or science fiction film.
Yet the coronavirus pandemic and the political decisions taken to contain it are very real.
A gold mine for authors, who will now be able to draw inspiration from reality?
Not necessarily, according to the novelist Maxime Chattam, guest of Europe 1, Wednesday morning.
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In the books, "we play with our fears, we do not suffer them"
"What I like in fiction, even in fantasy fiction, when we play with our fears, is precisely to be able to pose a framework in which the reader knows he will be able to walk", poses the "King of Black novel".
"And this framework, it is somewhere reassuring. We play with our fears, we do not suffer our fears."
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This is the big difference with the real health crisis, on which "we do not really have a grip", continues the one who is also a member of the jury of the Gérardmer fantastic film festival, launched today.
"It's almost reassuring, finally, to take refuge in a book or even in a fantastic film, because we know that there, we will have fun. We will move away from reality. In fact, our fears are under control somewhere. "
A crisis absent from his next work
However, Maxime Chattam wants to be reassuring about the Covid-19 crisis: "Fortunately, we don't seem to be in the field of horror films or novels that will turn out badly."
However, the current situation does not inspire "at all" the author, who has just completed his last work.
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"I acted as if it did not exist", explains the novelist.
"Already we live it, we suffer. In addition, do we want to remember it when we go to read a book that has nothing to do with it? I don't think so."