Patricia Blanchet · The book
The interview
Patricia
Interview by Bertrand Bipot
While no one expected such density, or writing that seems to have been dipped in the seed of Beelzebub, the novel Patricia, a biography of the life of the famous shoe designer whom the whole world envies us for, written by her son, arrived in bookstores without warning, like an ill-timed French kiss.
A meeting with the man who is revolutionizing the world of publishing like no one before him, except perhaps Plato.
Bertrand Bipot : Renaud, how did this completely wild, exhilarating novel project about your mother come to be?
Renaud : As I spent more time working on social media for Patricia Blanchet, I began to feel comfortable speaking up, and I started to unfold, lengthening my texts significantly. Little by little, my posts gained momentum and took flight. I went from short publications to an expansive universe where the mundane is embedded in the marvelous.
Bertrand Bipot : You have indeed scaled up very significantly. I noticed a shift on Patricia Blanchet's social media. Could you tell us when it happened and how?
Renaud : I was preparing a cherry clafoutis after a sleepless night spent in full lust, and I thought of Anaïs Nin, then of the One Thousand and One Nights.
Bertrand Bipot : Explain this discrepancy to us.
Renaud : I had spent the evening partying, knocking back bottle after bottle. By the early hours of the morning, my body was craving sugar. I threw myself into the first recipe that came to mind.
« I have moved from short posts to an expanded universe where the mundane interlocks with the marvelous. »
Bertrand Bipot : I was talking about the literary project.
Renaud : I took refuge in these two works, from which I drew a furious desire to live, to overcome, and to write.
Bertrand Bipot : And so to write to Patricia.
Renaud : Not quite, before that I started writing a collection of short stories about sodomy.
Bertrand Bipot : It is an interesting, profound subject. Where can we read these short stories? Which publisher had the audacity to publish them?
Renaud : Actually, none. Everyone delighted in my writing, but when it came time to take action, there was no one left. So, for now, my sodomite short stories are on the back burner, though one of them is currently being considered by Marvel. Apparently, the superheroes are looking to develop an adult branch for their comics. As for me, why not, if it allows me to invest myself more fully in pastry making? There is a clafoutis tournament at the end of the year in Cincinnati where the greatest masters of the discipline meet. I would love to participate so that France can be well-represented in this unparalleled competition.
Bertrand Bipot : And what about Patricia, since she is the heart of our conversation? How did you come up with the crazy idea of inventing this frivolous tale?
Renaud : It all started with a Homeric Facebook post in which I plunged Patricia into the center of a romantic story that saw her taking a seat on a flying carpet piloted by a Persian who had fallen madly in love with her. They flew over Paris, met a genie who ended up working as a raclette vendor there. It was very fun, and wtf. When it was finished, I posted it on Facebook and then...
Bertrand Bipot : So what now? Tell us, Renaud, France is afraid. France wants to know.
Renaud : And as soon as it was online, there was a surge of likes. A tsunami of clammy love crashed down on the page. Furious comments and handfuls of sweet words came to decorate the Patricia Blanchet page. It was at once very moving and very exciting. A bit like losing one’s virginity. We even got a call from Facebook France to find out if our page hadn’t broken. There was a lot of acclaim. It was pleasant. Amidst all those glowing messages, I received a dozen proposals from publishing houses that wanted to meet me. I was thrilled because I love writing, and I was flattered that a flock of female editors were courting me, thinking they were addressing Patricia.
« A tsunami of clammy love that crashed onto the page. »
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 regain their former luster. But also because I talked about Carpenter and 70s cinema with my editor at Seuil. That inevitably creates a bond.
Bertrand Bipot : How did you manage to slip into your mother's skin so easily?
Renaud : I am an only child, I have worked with him for a long time, and we have Jewish roots. Suffice it to say that it’s like nuclear fusion. And I love putting myself in other people's shoes. But that has 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 moments?
Renaud : She was delighted with the project and that I brought her life to the stage with such mastery.
Bertrand Bipot : Proud?
Renaud : She had a good portion of the book printed on wallpaper and then had it hung on the walls of her apartment. She moves her bed every evening so as to fall asleep in front of a different passage.
Bertrand Bipot : And your father then, how did he react?
Renaud : He liked the book a lot, but he decided not to speak to me again until I have written a book in his honor, just to balance things out.
Bertrand Bipot : Could you tell us a little bit about your upcoming projects?
Renaud : I am finishing a biography of Henri Krasucki that will contain many revelations likely to cause quite a stir. Very few people knew that this dapper trade unionist was also a great ladies' man who had more conquests than Warren Beatty and Alain Delon combined. Once that is finished, it will be time for me to switch to the most extremist telenovela ever written.
« She moves her bed every night to fall asleep in front of a different view. »
Novel
Patricia
"A mother at 18, married at the same age, here is the story of a life that sparkles, makes you laugh, moves you, and gives a big wet kiss to your gaping mouths. Oh, and my son is a writer, too."
An exuberant and joyous family fresco, from Algeria to France by way of Spain and Italy, from Paris to California, from the Drugstore on the Champs-Élysées to the Eram store in Alfortville. A fantasized, cathartic, and jubilant autobiographical novel.