Virginie despentes interview

But when the change came, it was quick, very radical and very surprising. She believes this had a huge impact on how the books were received. I would do it again. She is equally outspoken about the lack of diversity in French literature. Most of the time we read the same kind of books written by the same kind of writers. It was almost puritanical.

I also appreciate that in your novels the protagonists are often just girls like me. Your latest literary project though, the Vernon Subutex trilogy, breaks with most of your other books in that it focuses on a male protagonist—the titular Vernon. I did it before in Teen Spirit It was fun and interesting to work with a male character. But I have always had to listen to men talk about themselves, so I kind of felt I had some clues as to their inner monologues.

Virginie despentes interview: The French author of the

We are not very different. I am used to working with female characters. Readers, no matter their gender, tend to be very judgmental towards female characters. On the other hand, a male character is cherished from the first paragraph. No one has ever judged Vernon Subutex for his sexuality, for example. If he had been a woman, having sex with anyone who offers him a couch, he would be severely judged.

But he is a guy. He is entitled to do whatever he wants. And once you have a male character, your novel is seen as a portrayal of a generation. It becomes political. Through the shifting interior monologues of the various characters we have an insight into the uglier side of human behavior and thought—a radical honesty, perhaps. Some readers have criticized the characters as racist, sexist, and homophobic.

Virginie despentes interview: Portrait of Virginie Despentes. ©

Others equate these views with the writer of the book and not the characters. Reality is upsetting. For example, American politics is fucking upsetting. For some of us, a way to deal with an upsetting reality is to try to understand how we got in this situation. If you are French and you were educated with the idea that Nazism is bad, that killing millions of people is bad, that torture is bad, that slaughtering children is bad, then you might want to understand how the extreme right can become second party in your own country.

We know who we are voting for, there is no innocence in that decision. How can I myself know some of the privileged white people who feel the need to make their racist views public? You might also want to examine your mind because extreme right propaganda has spread on a worldwide level and there is not propaganda that does not reach you.

It is not a bad idea to confront your own thoughts. If you refuse to confront the problem, there is little hope that you will be able to contribute to the solution. It really makes many things more simple. But, no, I can understand, you can want to deal with some straight men. Some of them, obviously, are nice or attractive or charismatic or talented or have something.

But to be a feminist and a straight woman, yeah, it makes you crazy. Despite seeming very comfortable with her life as it is, Despentes was careful to clarify that being gay is not a romantic utopia free of struggle. But you might want to experience new beginnings. New stories. Because we [were] always together, how were we going to be non-monogamous?

Virginie despentes interview: French Writer Virginie Despentes

While Vernon Subutex is like her previous works in many ways, it is unlike them in one key matter: Its protagonist is a man. Now they can identify; most male readers are not able to identify with a female character. I came into our conversation wondering if Despentes hated men. It can only be interesting if they might help you with money or your career.

Otherwise, how depressing. But I like to be able to treat men like we are treated all the time. Und so ist es. Wie denn? Auch wenn es gar nicht wirklich eine Kategorie ist. Ist das jetzt anders? Nein, gar nicht. Das bin ja ich. Und aktuell ist das Buch nach wie vor. Und ich habe es satt, dass meine Protagonistinnen so schonungslos betrachtet und beurteilt werden.

Die King Kong Theorie ist autobiografisch. In Vernon Subutex ist sie milder geworden. Ich habe mir einen weiblichen Clint Eastwood aus Dirty Harry vorgestellt. Das ist keine sympathische Figur. Eine desillusionierte, zynische, effektive und sehr witzige Privatdetektivin.

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Er wird zum Opfer, weil zwei Frauen ihn fertigmachen. Sind Sie auch Dopalet? Ich kenne diesen Zorn, er ist mir sogar sehr vertraut. Wie erkennt man den Moment? Diese Wut erstickt einen, zerfrisst einen, macht einen kaputt. Und was macht man? Ging es Ihnen mal so?