Le lyrisme français
« Enorme buzz autour du livre de Yasmina Reza » — that’s one of the headlines generated by “le livre évènement de la rentrée littéraire,” Yasmina Reza’s « L’Aube le soir ou la nuit ». What is the subject of this book that has everyone talking, generating that “énorme buzz”? Who else — Nicolas Sarkozy.
I can’t imagine a book of this sort being published in the US. It wouldn’t be too surprising if a well-known writer like Yasmina Reza decided to follow a candidate around for several months and the candidate granted her almost unrestricted access. What’s surprising is Reza’s approach – she’s not interested in writing a campaign diary or creating the portrait of a politician in action; rather — well, I’ll let her tell it:
“Je ne cherche pas à écrire sur le pouvoir. Je ne cherche pas à écrire sur le pouvoir ou sur la politique, ou alors sur la politique en tant que mode d’existence. Ce qui m’intéresse, c’est de contempler un homme qui veut concurrencer la fuite du temps.” (Le monde, 22.08.07)
Far be it from Reza to write some sordid political book. She could care less about power or politics! What she wants is the opportunity — uniquely offered by Nicolas Sarkozy, apparently — “to contemplate a man who wants to outstrip the flight of time.”
An article in Le monde strongly implies an amorous attraction between the writer and her candidate: “Vous avez le choix entre être amoureuse et être ambitieuse,” Alain Minc is quoted as telling her, plainly enough. Apparently sensing that nothing spices up a love story like a triangle, Reza also alludes to her involvement with a second politician discreetly referred to only as “G.”
Am I the only one to find all of this to be…in extraordinarily bad taste? I wondered that after reading the breathless article in Le monde. A reassuring review in Libération puts its finger on the problem: “le livre est la mise en scène explicite d’une rencontre au sommet : toi Nicolas, moi Yasmina, et la jungle à nos pieds.” Indeed. And thanks to her exceptional literary powers, Yasmina will pierce through the superficialities of mere journalism to reach the essence of “politics as a way of existence.” And how better to do that than to plumb the depths of a powerful politician’s soul?