Just before it becomes the hottest series on screen, hurry up and read this bestseller
After becoming an international sensation and before it became a series, Arua La Talia's "Anomaly" is published in Hebrew (Kibbutz Hameuchad) and its author arrives at the Jerusalem Writers' Festival.
In an interview, he explains how at the age of 65 he became the hottest creator in the French literary world
Avner Shavit
12/05/2022
Thursday, 12 May 2022, 00:38 Updated: 17:59
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The "Anomaly" cover (Photo: United Kibbutz)
The French author Arva La Talia has published many books during his 65 years of life, but only in the last two years has he gained widespread recognition.
This happened thanks to his latest book, The Anomaly, which sold over a million copies in his homeland and also won Goncourt, the major award in its literature industry.
In addition, the novel has already been translated into 44 different languages, and now comes the 45th language - Hebrew.
The book is currently being published by Kibbutz Hameuchad / Poalim Library, and on this occasion Talia will be visiting Israel this week, as one of the many guests of honor at the Jerusalem Writers' Festival.
It is easy to understand the international success of "The Anomaly".
On the one hand, it has qualities that one can expect from a French number - intellectual, philosophical and romantic qualities.
On the other hand, the result is suspenseful, entertaining and addictive like the binge of a series on a streaming service.
It is not surprising to find that they are already working on a television adaptation of it, because this bestseller is made from the materials that nowadays make series that star at the top of the viewing charts.
We would also add that "The Anomaly" is a perfect flight book, had it not been for reading it would have aroused fear of flying.
His plot, as its name implies, depicts an abnormal situation: a plane from New York to Paris finds itself in unusual air pockets.
He manages to land safely, and the passengers think they can get back to routine, but three months later, another plane lands in the City of Lights, carrying exactly the same duplicates of everyone who was on board the previous plane.
So what is the source, what is the imitation and what is the truth, and do these concepts have value in the first place?
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To the full article
The "Anomaly" cover (Photo: United Kibbutz)
"The book raises the question - is our world just one simulation of many kinds?", Talia tells her in a special interview with Walla!
Culture. "" Maybe we live in one big video game?
"Maybe our DNA is just an algorithm?"
To examine this question, the book presents a mosaic of characters - including a hired killer, a Nigerian musician and also, in a sort of self-presented prophecy, a relatively anonymous writer whose new novel becomes a sensation. I chose flight because it was the only way to bring together such different and weird characters, "Talia tells her about it. And
the result is the last book recommended to read before or during a flight.
" Are you afraid of flights?
cool down.
I know air pockets can cause trauma, that's the idea behind the book, but there really is nothing to be afraid of.
I think the fear stems from the fact that we leave our fate in the hands of other people - the pilots.
That is something that is difficult for us to contain. "
In France, the book was published by Glimar, one of the largest and most respected publishers in the country.
Before it is distributed to stores, La Talia requires a regular ritual - a preparatory conversation with one of the publishing staff, the trust in the marketing of the novel among the bookstores that will determine its commercial fate.
"He asked me the three questions he poses to every publisher of the publication - who is the protagonist of the book? What is the subject of the book? How is it similar to your previous books," Talia reminded her.
"I did not have an answer to any question. Who is the protagonist of the book? He has some protagonists. What is the subject of the book? He has some subjects. How is he similar to my previous books? He is not like anything, my body of work is incoherent and I never write The same book. I was embarrassed. The publisher was lovely, but I had no way to help him. My book was a weird chicken in the sky, so I did not think it was going to succeed. My previous books sold at most 40-30 thousand copies. The continuum of the million. "
"I was asked three fateful questions. I had no answer to any of them."
Aru La La Talia (Photo: Francesca Montevni, Glimar)
La Talia is on the face of it a prototype of a French intellectual - a linguist, mathematician, academic and formerly the author of a column in Le Monde, the newspaper considered in France.
On the other hand, he is a fan of romantic comedies like "Notting Hill", and is addicted to American night shows.
One of them, Stephen Colbert's program, even plays a central role in the plot.
"I regularly watch these shows - Colbert, John Oliver, and more," Talia tells her.
"They are excellent interviewers, not just being on screen for so long. Besides, behind these programs there is an amazing investigative work. There is not a single sentence that is not informative. From every second of them one can learn something."
"It's a French book, but it has something very American in it," he adds.
"The English translator told me that it was easy for her to translate all the parts of Colbert's program, because they were written in an American style in the first place. That was my intention - I wanted to write a book that would be different from what is usually published in France.
How involved are you in the series that are made according to the book?
"We thicken the original text on two levels - expanding China's volume in the plot, and deepening the discussion in parallel universes. I do not understand writing scripts for series, so I leave the work to the show's runner of the series. I can not find out who he is, but it's someone "I trust him. The structure of the series will be different from the structure of the book. The book initially presents each character individually and dedicates an episode to each one.
Coming soon to Netflix?
Aru La La Talia (Photo: Francesca Montevni, Glimar)
La Talia dreamed of being accepted to film studies in his youth, but according to him, he received a point less than necessary in the entrance exam.
"I really like movies," he says.
"If you analyze classic French books, you will see that they are written in cinematic language. 'Poor Life', 'Madame Bovary', 'Following the Lost Time' - all meet the rules of cinema."
"As writers, one of our biggest challenges today is to write books that will be books, not costume scripts. The world of images is so dominant in the lives of all of us, it's easy to fall into the trap and forget we write for readers and not viewers. I always try very hard to write literary dialogues." .
Assuming we all have doubles in parallel worlds, what kind of movies does your double do?
"I imagine him as someone like Ridley Scott, who never directs a film like his predecessor, as my books are always different from each other. Either way,
I do not regret not becoming a director.
I'm comfortable with writing books. "
The writer quenched her talya (Photo: Francesca Montebani, Glimar)
The conversation with La Talia takes place between the French presidential election and the local parliament election, and of course it is impossible not to talk to him about politics.
"On the face of it, thirty percent of my people voted for the far right, but the numbers are lying," he says.
"In many cases, it was a protest vote against President Macron, or a vote of despair of people who are in the geographical, economic or social periphery. I also read about the voting patterns of eligible voters living in Israel. Ninety percent chose not to vote, which shows how much Israelis-French "I do not care about the homeland they left. Those who did vote, mostly chose Eric Zamor. How can you vote for such a despicable person? How can you support a person who defended collaborators with the Nazis? It's not something I can understand, but it's probably a vote of revenge in France and the French government." .
You have already seen the book in many languages.
What is it like to see it in Hebrew?
"It's always strange to see it in other languages. Hebrew is of course a very special language. In France, if something looks or sounds different, it is customary to say 'it's like Chinese for me' or 'it's like Hebrew for me'. Hebrew is a language that fascinates me. I read "And I learned a lot about how it was revived, and how it was necessary to update the language. I am excited to find the book in Hebrew and excited for the visit to Israel, because I have not been there for many years."
You're going to eat well!
"Yes, that's what I was told. Well, food is the basis of world culture, isn't it?"
The Writers' Festival will open on Sunday 15.5.
For full details on the festival's events see the official website
The meeting with Arua La Talia at the festival will take place on Wednesday 18.5 at 18:00.
For details and to order tickets, click here.
Later that evening, La Talia will be hosted at the Jerusalem Cinematheque and will present Francois Truffaut's "The Man Who Loved Women."
For details, see the Cinematheque website.
To order the book on the website of the United Kibbutz / Poalim Library, enter here.
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