Diversity of voices, diversity of languages : one week of events and readings in Lyon and in the Rhône-Alpes region.
Proust inspired interview of Manu Joseph
What became of your childhood dreams ?
They became realities, but in other people.
What is your greatest (or worst) addiction ?
Running
What is your favourite swear word ?
Intellectual.
Which word do you hate most, and why ?
‘Exclamation mark’. If we need ‘ !’ to exclaim, we should not be writing at all. (Now don’t say it’s two words.)
If you were a figure of speech, which one would you be ?
An oxymoron who thinks he is an epigram.
Which side of your personality do you keep hidden at first, and why ?
How can I then reveal it so early in our acquaintance.
What would be your ideal literary encounter (book, author, reader, etc) ?
A reader who is not writing a book.
What guilty reading pleasure do you indulge in ?
Popular charlatan science journalism about the features of massive distant planets or about what would happen if an enormous celestial body collides with Earth, especially if a giant tsunami is involved.
Which writer will you never read ?
Me. The prose is so flawed, it always seems.
Which sound or noise do you enjoy most ?
Among the decent sounds : a baby finding something hilarious.
How would you describe your book collection in one word ?
iPad.
What would your ideal epitaph be ?
‘He turned out to be right.’
