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Friday 28 May 2010

Vango

I know, I committed a mortal sin and now I feel irreparably orphaned: Vango has abandoned me, now he's in Salina with Ethel, and what about me? How long will I have to wait? A year? More?

Never, I say, NEVER read the first volume of a Thimothée de Fombelle novel if the second hasn't been published yet: you would otherwise remain there, dying, longing to know what will happen, and you'll have no other choice than wait! Reading again the first book won't help at all, on the contrary: this will only increase your thirst of discovery.

What can I do then? I think I'll write about it: the author is the same who wrote  Tobie Lolness *, a worldwide success. As for the Tobie Lolness novels, Vango as well is a two volume novel: Vango, entre ciel et Terre and Vango, un prince sans royaume. Most probably the second volume will be published next year, at least I hope.








Vango, Timothée de Fombelle, cover image by Blexbolex**, Gallimard Jeunesse, Hors Série Littérature, 18th March 2010

For readers 12 years up


The novel is set in the '30s, in a Europe halfway between the two world wars, already fully tyrannized by the totalitarian regimes that in a few years will upset millions of people's lives. But for Vango Romano, the problems threatening his young life have nothing to do with those dramatic events: the mystery that encircles his origins is the first source of all the troubles haunting him, from his very early childhood when, shipwrecked, he arrives on the island of Salina with Mademoiselle, his wet nurse.
About Vango Romano, whom his persecutors call L'Oiseau***, we know almost nothing except that he always carries with him a handkerchief bearing the writing "Combien de Royaumes nous ignorent"**** and a V embroidered in gold, that he loves swallows, that he can climb the most inaccessible places with no apparent effort and that, were it not for the police chasing him for murder and for someone shooting on him while escaping, he would have become a priest. We also know that Mademoiselle raised him as her own son, protecting him from his past.

Around Vango a number of historical characters like Hugo Eckener, the captain of the Graf Zepelin, and invented ones like Zefiro, the chief monk of the secret monastery on the island of Arkudak (Alicudi), or like the Mole, a young Jewish girl coming from a good family that shares with Vango the taste for independence and for the nights "en plein air" on the roofs of Paris. And then there's Ethel, Scottish, rich, young and deeply in love with Vango. To end there are his enemies, terrible, pitiless, one for all: Stalin! Yup, that Stalin, the Soviet tyrant in person.

At this point, maybe even too obviously, my mind rushed to identify the Romanov imperial family: after all Vango Romano, the dates as well are corresponding... And yet, towards the end of the novel, my theory collapses like an unsteady sand castle!

What to say? De Fombelle has an undeniable ability in creating complicated plots, charged with suspense, the little plugs masterly scattered along the text remain only vaguely mentioned up to the right moment when, and only then, they explode in all their evidence. The evocative and pressing writing envelops you with an urge for revelations that doesn't abandon you up to the end. The author is very good at recreating tension using several techniques, skilfully weaving the different threads of the plot, breaking action to the climax to move elsewhere, deviating attention on collateral events, or using flashback technique.

In short: a novel you shouldn't miss, you won't be deceived!

About this novel De Fombelle said: «J'ai mis dans ce roman tout ce qui compte pour moi : le souffle de l'aventure, la fragilité, la cruauté la beauté des existences. Je voulais une saga qui emporte le lecteur, mais qui laisse chez lui des traces.»*****

Just to give you an idea on De Fombelle, I shall list just some of the recognitions he received in the past few years:

Prix du Souffleur 2002
Prix Saint-Exupéry 2006
Prix Tam-Tam 2006
Prix Sorcières 2006
Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire 2007

You can read a short biography, and an interview, in French, on the site of the Publisher Gallimard:  http://www.gallimard-jeunesse.fr/3nav/contenu.php?page=contributeur&tri=titre_resume&num=1&id_contributeur=67631

The choice is now up to you: shall you buy the fist volume ora et nunc or shall you wait until the second one is published?



* The story of Tobie Lolness will soon become a film, the author is in fact working on the screenplay for the movie that will be produced in the States.

** Blexbolex is the incredible author and illustrator of Saisons, a wonderful book published last November by Albin Michel Jeunesse.

*** The Bird

**** "How many kingdoms ignore us"

***** «I put in this novel all that counts for me: the breathe of adventure, fragility, existence's beauty and cruelty. I wanted to create a saga that could capture readers and, at the same time, leave them a mark.»

Thursday 13 May 2010

HELP NEEDED: Editions Être in danger!

This morning, while I was searching through the net (to be precise on the La Citrouille Blog) I was shocked to read the letter* I am copying here below. Christian Bruel has already explained all that needed to be said, I just add my personal prayer to you: please spread the word, don't let this help request fall unnoticed.



"Le risque ou dormir**


This was the anagram of my old publishing company's name
Le Sourire qui mord**

On May 7th, during the professional session organised by the Fête du Livre in Villeurbanne, I was invited to talk about the topic « Resisting, at which price? »: when asked by Gérard Picot, who had just heard about this, I publicly announced the future closing of Être publishing company.
Publishing for more than thirty-five years, without a capital, peculiar and demanding picture books has always had the hint of adventure. Without the careful support of many professionals in the field of books, market laws would have won this juggling Pol way before hand.

In moments like these that are not easy, except for some protégés, the idea that a slight drop on the side of professional's supervision might be fatal to us has provoked many emotions. I have been really touched, on the spot and later on as well, by the many encouraging messages and by the commitment of those people who cannot accept the idea that our books might not be present in the life of younger and less young readers anymore. What to do?

I can just incite, all of you, to rush to your favourite bookshops to get copies of the books by Être Publishing until there still is some time. If a purchasing wave might not necessarily guarantee the continuation of our activity, though it shall assure a destiny to books that consider children as readers that deserve undistorted points of view on the world. I wish, for all of us, that those books might keep provoking free interpretations, and resistance to established order. And we owe it as well to the creators of the books that have shared the risk of those literary and human adventures.
« What comes on earth not to trouble doesn't deserve neither consideration nor patience » wrote René Char.
I thank you for yours.
And I'm not sleepy…

Christian Bruel

10 May 2010

contact@etre-editions.com

Être éditions
56, rue Ramus
75020 Paris
http://www.etre-editions.com/

Please join the Facebbok Page in support of Christian Bruel, here :
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=120683554618391&v=wall " ***



I just end this post by saying, as usual, that


culture is freedom: let's fight for it!



* I have translated the letter, I do apologise for its imperfection, should you wish to read the original in French please go here.

** The risk or sleeping.   The biting smile.
***The letter has been reproduced with the permission of Mr. Bruel.