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PATRICIA, THE BOOK
The novel Patricia, a biography on the life of the world's envied shoe designer, written by her son, hit bookstores without warning, like an unexpected french kiss. Meet the man who is revolutionizing the publishing world like no one before him, except perhaps Plato.
Bertrand Bipot : Renaud, how did you come up with the idea of writing a totally crazy, delightful novel about your mother?
Renaud : As my presence and my work on social media for Patricia Blanchet grew, I began to feel more comfortable with speaking out, and I unfolded, lengthening my texts significantly. Little by little, my posts took off. I went from short publications to an extended universe where the mundane is embedded in the marvellous.
Bertrand Bipot : You have indeed expanded significantly. I've noticed a shift in Patricia Blanchet's social media activity. Can you tell us when and how it happened?
Renaud : I was preparing a cherry clafoutis after a sleepless night of lust, and I thought of Anaïs Nin, then of the Tales of the Thousand and One Nights.
Bertrand Bipot : Can you explain the thought process?
Renaud : I'd spent the evening feasting and drinking. Early in the morning, my body needed its sugar rush. I pounced on the first recipe I could think of.
Bertrand Bipot : I was talking about the literary project.
Renaud : I took refuge in these two works, which gave me a furious desire to live, to conquer and to write.
Bertrand Bipot : And so to write Patricia.
Renaud : Not quite, before that I started writing a collection of short stories about sodomy.
Bertrand Bipot : It's an interesting, profound subject. Where can we read these short stories? Which publisher had the audacity to publish them?
Renaud : Precisely none. Everyone enjoyed my writings, but when it came to taking action, there was no one left. So for the moment, my sodomite short stories are staying put, but there's one that's being studied by Marvel. Apparently the superheroes are looking to develop an adult branch of their comics. Personally i said, why not, if it means I can devote more time to baking. There's a clafoutis tournament at the end of the year in Cincinnati where the greatest masters of the discipline meet. I'd love to take part, so that France features prominently in this unrivalled competition.
Renaud : As my presence and my work on social media for Patricia Blanchet grew, I began to feel more comfortable with speaking out, and I unfolded, lengthening my texts significantly. Little by little, my posts took off. I went from short publications to an extended universe where the mundane is embedded in the marvellous.
Bertrand Bipot : You have indeed expanded significantly. I've noticed a shift in Patricia Blanchet's social media activity. Can you tell us when and how it happened?
Renaud : I was preparing a cherry clafoutis after a sleepless night of lust, and I thought of Anaïs Nin, then of the Tales of the Thousand and One Nights.
Bertrand Bipot : Can you explain the thought process?
Renaud : I'd spent the evening feasting and drinking. Early in the morning, my body needed its sugar rush. I pounced on the first recipe I could think of.
Bertrand Bipot : I was talking about the literary project.
Renaud : I took refuge in these two works, which gave me a furious desire to live, to conquer and to write.
Bertrand Bipot : And so to write Patricia.
Renaud : Not quite, before that I started writing a collection of short stories about sodomy.
Bertrand Bipot : It's an interesting, profound subject. Where can we read these short stories? Which publisher had the audacity to publish them?
Renaud : Precisely none. Everyone enjoyed my writings, but when it came to taking action, there was no one left. So for the moment, my sodomite short stories are staying put, but there's one that's being studied by Marvel. Apparently the superheroes are looking to develop an adult branch of their comics. Personally i said, why not, if it means I can devote more time to baking. There's a clafoutis tournament at the end of the year in Cincinnati where the greatest masters of the discipline meet. I'd love to take part, so that France features prominently in this unrivalled competition.
Bertrand Bipot : And Patricia, because this is the heart of our interview? How did you come up with the crazy idea of inventing this frivolous story?
Renaud : It all stemmed from a Homeric Facebook post in which I had plunged Patricia into the center of a romantic story that saw her take her place on a magic carpet piloted by a Persian who had fallen madly in love with her. They flew over Paris and met a genius who ended up selling raclette. It was great fun, and wtf. When it was finished, I posted it on Facebook and then...
Bertrand Bipot : And then what? Tell us about it Renaud, France is scared. The public wants to know.
Renaud : And as soon as it was online, there was a flood of likes. A tsunami of moist love swept across the page. The Patricia Blanchet page was adorned with furious comments and a handful of sweet words. It was both very moving and very exciting. A bit like getting your cherry popped. We even got a call from Facebook France to see if our page had broken. There was a lot of plebiscite. That was nice. In the midst of all these enthusiastic messages, I received a dozen proposals from publishing houses who were keen to meet me. I was delighted, because I love to write, and I was flattered that so many publishers were courting me with Patricia in mind.
Bertrand Bipot : Why did you choose to work with Le Seuil?
Renaud : Because they had published Lacan and Barthes, and I wanted to help them recover their former lustre. But also because I talked about Carpenter and 70s cinema with my editor at Le Seuil. Inevitably, that creates a bond.
Bertrand Bipot : How did you manage to slip into your mother's skin so easily?
Renaud : I'm an only child, I've worked with her for a long time, and we have Jewish origins. I might as well tell you that it's a nuclear fusion. And I love to put myself in other people's shoes. But nothing to do with Hannibal Lecter.
Bertrand Bipot : What did Patricia think of the book? Did she like it? Didn't she feel, perhaps, betrayed at certain points?
Renaud : She was delighted with the project, and that I was able to stage her life with such mastery.
Bertrand Bipot : Proud?
Renaud : She had a large part of the book printed on wallpaper and then had it put up on the walls of her apartment. She moves her bed every night so she can fall asleep in front of a different passage.
Bertrand Bipot : How did your father react to the book?
Renaud : He liked the book a lot, but he decided not to talk to me again until I'd written a book about him, just to balance things out.
Bertrand Bipot : Can you tell us about your next projects?
Renaud : I'm in the process of finishing a biography of Henri Krasucki, in which there will be many revelations that are likely to set the Marne on fire. Very few people knew that this lively trade unionist was also a great seducer, who had more conquests than Warren Beatty and Alain Delon put together. When this is over, it's time for me to switch to the most extreme telenovela ever written.
Renaud : It all stemmed from a Homeric Facebook post in which I had plunged Patricia into the center of a romantic story that saw her take her place on a magic carpet piloted by a Persian who had fallen madly in love with her. They flew over Paris and met a genius who ended up selling raclette. It was great fun, and wtf. When it was finished, I posted it on Facebook and then...
Bertrand Bipot : And then what? Tell us about it Renaud, France is scared. The public wants to know.
Renaud : And as soon as it was online, there was a flood of likes. A tsunami of moist love swept across the page. The Patricia Blanchet page was adorned with furious comments and a handful of sweet words. It was both very moving and very exciting. A bit like getting your cherry popped. We even got a call from Facebook France to see if our page had broken. There was a lot of plebiscite. That was nice. In the midst of all these enthusiastic messages, I received a dozen proposals from publishing houses who were keen to meet me. I was delighted, because I love to write, and I was flattered that so many publishers were courting me with Patricia in mind.
Bertrand Bipot : Why did you choose to work with Le Seuil?
Renaud : Because they had published Lacan and Barthes, and I wanted to help them recover their former lustre. But also because I talked about Carpenter and 70s cinema with my editor at Le Seuil. Inevitably, that creates a bond.
Bertrand Bipot : How did you manage to slip into your mother's skin so easily?
Renaud : I'm an only child, I've worked with her for a long time, and we have Jewish origins. I might as well tell you that it's a nuclear fusion. And I love to put myself in other people's shoes. But nothing to do with Hannibal Lecter.
Bertrand Bipot : What did Patricia think of the book? Did she like it? Didn't she feel, perhaps, betrayed at certain points?
Renaud : She was delighted with the project, and that I was able to stage her life with such mastery.
Bertrand Bipot : Proud?
Renaud : She had a large part of the book printed on wallpaper and then had it put up on the walls of her apartment. She moves her bed every night so she can fall asleep in front of a different passage.
Bertrand Bipot : How did your father react to the book?
Renaud : He liked the book a lot, but he decided not to talk to me again until I'd written a book about him, just to balance things out.
Bertrand Bipot : Can you tell us about your next projects?
Renaud : I'm in the process of finishing a biography of Henri Krasucki, in which there will be many revelations that are likely to set the Marne on fire. Very few people knew that this lively trade unionist was also a great seducer, who had more conquests than Warren Beatty and Alain Delon put together. When this is over, it's time for me to switch to the most extreme telenovela ever written.
Bertrand Bipot: Dear Renaud, never before have I heard such exciting words as yours. Thank you, and if you don't have anything to do afterwards, let's have a drink in my caravan.
* Interview by Bertrand Bipot, journalist and columnist for Ecrivains de Notre Temps.