In his new novel, "The Symphony of Monsters," author Marc Levy tells the story of the kidnapping of Valentyn, a 9-year-old Ukrainian boy, by the Russian authorities. And thus denounces a chilling reality: the deportation of thousands of children, notably to "re-education camps", to make them forget their roots.
Why did you choose the word "symphony" to talk about the deportation of children?
MARC LEVY. Because the forces of evil can be orchestrated as well as those of good. The programme developed by Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's Commissioner for Children's Rights, is part of a comprehensive genocidal project. And it's being conducted in a terrifying way.
What made you decide to write about this topic?
It was a moral obligation for me to talk about it. That we can't say, as was the case with the Second World War, "We didn't know."
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How did you get information about these re-education camps?
I searched everywhere for information. I have followed all of Maria Lvova-Belova's speeches. I also spoke with Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's Commissioner for Human Rights, who is in charge of finding the children. On the day we met, he had just been released nine times. An estimated 969 have been recovered, leaving 39,000 left.
You were a first aid worker for the Red Cross when you were young. In your book, Veronika, Valentyn's mother, is a nurse...
It's a job that I admire a lot. When I worked for the Red Cross, I was more impressed by the nurses' aides than the doctors. Because they are the ones on the front line.
Valentyn, on the other hand, is mute. What for?
He is the symbol of his country, of the incredible humility in the fierce will of Ukrainians to resist. When I was in Kyiv, we had three air raid alerts. The sirens were wailing, but no one was rushing. There, as soon as a building falls, people rebuild it. Valentyn hears everything and sees everything, but can't speak.
Do you think President Volodymyr Zelensky is a hero?
Indisputably. He is becoming the Winston Churchill of this century. I found myself very close to him, and I can tell you that he impressed me.
This book has little chance of being translated in Russia...
It's one of the countries where I sell the most (laughs)! My Russian readers will be able to get hold of it.
"The Symphony of the Monsters", by Marc Levy, illustrations by Pauline Lévêque, Robert Laffont-Versilio, 400 p., €21.90. In bookstores from October 17, 2023.