BABBLING BOOKS

Tigerlily

Live chat with Tatiana de Rosnay - Weds 16th April 2008 at 7pm

Hi Tatiana

Welcome to Babbling Books and thank you for coming by to chat with us about your novel Sarah's Key.

Welcome to everyone participating in this event. If you cannot make the live chat, but would like to ask Tatiana a question or post her a message, please add it here.

Look forward to chatting with you

For more information about Sarah's Key, visit: http://ellesappelaitsarah.over-blog.com/

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Reading: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
Reading Challenge 2009: 8
2008: 4
2007: 10

Yansor · VIP Guest Joined: 07 Mar 2008 Posts: 3 Location: Paris

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http://ellesappelaitsarah.over-blog.com/

annecater · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 6:14 pm Post subject:

Hi Tatiana, thanks for joining us. I'll be around tomorrow evening but just wanted to post my question before then.

I felt a sense of guilt that I had no idea of what went on in Paris during the war - that the French Police actually rounded up the Jews - Policemen who had been friends and neighbours of these people.
Did you find it difficult to do full research - is there still a sense of guilt amongst the French people about what happened?
Is Sarah based an a real-life person?

I loved the book - at times I was holding my breath with anticipattion and could almost feel the emotions - especially when Sarah told her parents where Michel was - obviously they knew that they would not return, yet Sarah was young and innocent enough to think that she would return.
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Currently reading: The Tent The Bucket and Me by Emma Kennedy and Granny The Pag by Nina Bawden

1001 Challenge Books read in 2009 - 3
1001 Challenge Books read in 2008 - 8
1001 Challenge Books read in 2007 - 13

Tigerlily · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:12 pm Post subject:

Hi Tatiana!

Congratulations on your excellent novel! Hope you enjoy your stay with us.

Whilst reading Sarah's Key, I couldn't help thinking it must've been difficult, emotionally, for you to research and write. I imagine it was as emotionally draining for you to write as it was for us to read. Was this the case? I assume you visited the POW camp sites, the museums, the locations mentioned in SK. How did you feel?

I like how you juxtaposed Sarah's and Julia's narratives; it works really well. I cried so much with each instalment of Sarah's riveting story, that it was a relief to be brought back into the present! Then when I'd finished one of Julia's chapters, I was ready to get back to Sarah again. I honestly don't think a novel has ever moved me as much as SK.

We mustn't ever forget what happened to people during the war - so thank you for bringing such events to light.

_________________
Reading: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
Reading Challenge 2009: 8
2008: 4
2007: 10

sparkymarky · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:30 pm Post subject:

Hi- I should be about tomorrow but failing that I just wanted to say how much I too enjoyed SARAH'S KEY and haven't read anything as moving since A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS by Khaled Hosseini last year.
I just wanted to ask...

I know it is very easy for authors to become "pigeon-holed" into writing about very similar subjects in their novels and this is not always a good thing, but are there any other "forgotten" moments of history that interest you?

I am shocked that until your novel I too had never heard of the important event in history featured in SARAH'S KEY and find it shocking that even now, years later, there are still areas of the War that are swept under the carpet and not readily acknowledged. What a very emotional piece that, like both of Khaled Hosseini's novels, should defenitely be compulsory reading!!!

editing to say as I work as a chef have been called in to work tonight so won't be able to make it.My apologies and so sorry n ot to have been able to (virtually) meet you....

Tigerlily · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 11:23 pm Post subject:

You raise some really interesting points there Mark.
_________________
Reading: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
Reading Challenge 2009: 8
2008: 4
2007: 10

Yansor · VIP Guest Joined: 07 Mar 2008 Posts: 3 Location: Paris

Thank you for these questions, everybody.

I will be back online later on tonight to answer you.

In the meantime, maybe some of you will find this interview interesting :

http://www.nextbook.org/cultural/feature.html?id=656
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http://ellesappelaitsarah.over-blog.com/

lovely treez · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:21 am Post subject:

Unfortunately a friend of ours has been bereaved and I don't know if I can make it tonight but I have some questions for Tatiana.

I have just re-read Sarah's Key and it was as poignant if not more so than the first reading which is high praise from me as I rarely re-read. I am so glad I got the proof copy from Waterstones and was able to share this book with so many others. Thank you Tatiana.

A lot of my questions have just been answered in the excellent article on www.nextbook.org, my principal question being why you chose to write it in English.

However, I would like to know if you chose the French translator of SK or was that the decision of the publisher? It must be so difficult to get a translator who can hit the right tone and in your case, particularly difficult, as French is your language too. It must have been like handing your baby over to be minded by a stranger!!

I'd also like to know what you're working on at the moment and if any of your previous novels are available in translation? I am particularly drawn to Moka - of course I can read it in French, I ought to push myself a bit.

I'd also like to add that every country has it's dreadful episodes from the past, ones that are brushed over and I guess we have to try to forgive but not forget. I am truly astonished that people can live in those appartments in Drancy, knowing its history but I guess if folk are financially stressed they feel forced into these decisions.
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Currently reading - The Italian Boy - Murder and Grave Robbery in 1830s London - Sarah Wise

eightlegs · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:50 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the link to the interview, have just read it. Fascinating stuff.

I'm amazed that your original publisher refused to publish it because the material was still to sensitive - I thought we had got beyond that for events so long ago and that now we believed in telling the truth in order to prevent it recurring in our "civilised" society. I'm so glad another publisher had more guts!

And I loved the book, the bits about Sarah I found harrowing to read, I was always glad when it switched to Julia's narrative, yet so hooked in there was no way I was going to not read on.

My question is, did you deliberately put the two strands together so that the story didn't have a long part that was distressing?

jobar · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 2:55 pm Post subject:

Hi Tatiana,

I absolutely loved your book and without doubt it will be my book of the year....thank you for writing it !

On the back of the book copy I have, it says that a major film based on the novel is in pre production...can you tell us anything more about this?

Josie x

heathera · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:13 pm Post subject:

Hi Tatiana,

I'll be online this evening, but will be dipping in and out as I have two small children to bath, give milk to and put to bed!

I echo what the others have also commented regarding your book. I also offer many congratulations on such an emotional, educational and successful novel.

My questions also regard the subject matter. I'm also embarrassed to have known nothing about the events you describe prior to reading your book. I've been to concentration camps in Poland, but I didn't think this Jewish persecution happened on such a scale in France. Is this a subject that you felt you needed to get more public awareness? What made you chose this particular event, considering the many atrocities that happened throughout WW2?

As to the characters of Sarah and Julia, do you think their lives are typical of that time and also anyone researching the subject now?

Finally, would you continue this theme for any future novels, or would you like to write in a completely different setting now?

Thanks for joining us and I look forward to "talking" to you later.
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Currently Reading:

The Moonlit Cage - Linda Holeman

1001 Book Challenge:
2009 - 4
2008 - 14
Books Available for Swapping on RISI

lisa2062 · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:00 pm Post subject:

A warm welcome to BB Tatiana, and thank you so much for dropping in and answering our questions. Well done on the much deserved success of Sarah's key, it's just one of those rare books that touched my heart from start to finish. Lisa x
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Currently Reading - Want to Play? By P.J Tracy (again)

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Tatiana · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:05 pm Post subject:

Bonjour everbody !!
Could not log in with my usual password !

so had to create a new one in a rush !

Thank you very much for inviting me and for your praise and enthusiasm concerning SK. I’m very happy to be here with you tonight ! Here are my answers to your questions.

Annecater : Did you find it difficult to do full research - is there still a sense of guilt amongst the French people about what happened?

Is Sarah based an a real-life person?

I found it difficult to get my hands on proper material. I started researching SK in 2002 and many of the books I needed were out of print. I had to pull alot of strings to get hold of them. I interviewed several survivors, very emotional and important moments, moments I don’t think I’ll ever forget. What remained impossible was getting hold of the descendants of the police-men or train drivers who were also part of the organization of the round’up.
Yes there is a sense of guilt, but not so much from my generation (born in the 60’s). I know that older Parisians, who saw all this happen, still feel guilty.
No, Sarah is not based on a real life person, but I’d say she bears an uncanny resemblance to my daughter Charlotte, who was 10 years old when I wrote this novel, between 2002 and 2003. I remember thinking, watching my daughter laugh and play, Sarah was exactly this age when horror came into her life.

Glynis: I imagine it was as emotionally draining for you to write as it was for us to read. Was this the case? I assume you visited the POW camp sites, the museums, the locations mentioned in SK. How did you feel?

Yes it was draining. The part when the mothers are separated from the children at Beaune la Rolande had me in tears. I knew this had happened exactly the way I was writing it. It was awful describing that scene. When I visited Beaune to do my research, I thought of that scene every time, and it still haunts me. But no matter how much I felt drained writing this book, I kept thinking of the people who actually went through this, who lived this. Yes, I went to all the places I mention in the book. I had never been there before. Drancy , I think, is the most dreadful of them all. Because, as I describe it in SK, people actually live in the camp. And many don’t know, or don’t care.

Mark : I know it is very easy for authors to become "pigeon-holed" into writing about very similar subjects in their novels and this is not always a good thing, but are there any other "forgotten" moments of history that interest you?

Yes, I’m interested in aspects of the French Revolution and in particular the ransacking and looting of all the royal remains at the Saint Denis Cathedral. The Haussmann era also draws me. And I recently read Tokyo by Mo Hayden and realised I did not know much about the Nanking massacre. The Great Fire of London is also one my interests, and Jack the Ripper, all very macabre, I must say !

Treez : I would like to know if you chose the French translator of SK or was that the decision of the publisher? It must be so difficult to get a translator who can hit the right tone and in your case, particularly difficult, as French is your language too. It must have been like handing your baby over to be minded by a stranger!!

I'd also like to know what you're working on at the moment and if any of your previous novels are available in translation?

My French publisher Heloise d’Ormesson chose my French translator, Agnès Michaux. She made an excellent choice because Agnès did a fantastic job. I’m often asked why I did not translate my novel myself being French. My answer is : I’m a lousy translator and it’s a very tough job ! This novel “came” to me in English and there was no way I could write it in French ! (My English side was stronger than my French side, in this case !) Also, translating yourself is a nightmare...But don’t forget, Treez, that SK has been translated into 20 languages, most of them are languages I cannot read, so all this involves trusting your translator, which I’ve learned to do !

None of my other books, in French, have been translated. But I am writing a new novel in English, which should be finished this summer and published next year if all goes well ! My hero is a 43 year old man, Antoine. I’m very fond of him. It’s so interesting being in a man’s skin. Part of the book takes place in Noirmoutier, in western France. A terrible family secret comes boomeranging back...And on top of all that, Antoine had to deal with his divorce, a car accident, his lousy job, his sullen teenagers. A modern man ! But there is a light at the end of the tunnel...

Eightlegs : My question is, did you deliberately put the two strands together so that the story didn't have a long part that was distressing?

I am not a historian and did not wish to write a historical novel. I also wanted to have a modern day heroine (who is not me BTW !) in order to reveal the shame and taboo that the Vel d’hiv round up still causes today. And I did feel that alternating Julia’s and Sarah’s story gave a certain pace to the book, and made Sarah’s part less “heavy”.

Josie : On the back of the book copy I have, it says that a major film based on the novel is in pre production...can you tell us anything more about this?

Of course ! The movie rights have been bought by a young French director called Gilles Paquet Brenner. French novelist Serge Joncour has written the script which I should shortly be looking at. The director seems to have his heart set on Jodie Foster to play Julia’s role which would be fantastic ! When I wrote Julia’s story, I had Jodie Foster in mind....

Heather : Is this a subject that you felt you needed to get more public awareness? What made you chose this particular event, considering the many atrocities that happened throughout WW2?

As to the characters of Sarah and Julia, do you think their lives are typical of that time and also anyone researching the subject now?

Finally, would you continue this theme for any future novels, or would you like to write in a completely different setting now?

I chose this event because as I explained above in the Next Book interview, as a native French citizen, I was not taught this at school at all. I felt I needed to write about it, to express the horror I felt when I found out about the Vel d’Hiv round up details. This is a very” French” event, and it alas symbolizes French occupation. Sarah and Julia are both fictional characters, but I did extensive research to write Sarah’s part. Julia Jarmond’s character, an American journalist living in France today, is based on three of my American expat friends who have been living in Paris for over 20 years and who are married to French men.

I am now writing a novel which takes place today, but my next one may take us back in time again….to the 19th Century…

annecater · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:10 pm Post subject:

Bonjour Tatiana

Thanks for such detailed replies.

Your new character Antoine sounds interesting - are you finding it more difficult to write from a man's perspective?
I really admire Khaled Hosseini for being to write A Thousand Splendid Suns from a woman's perspective - have you read it yet?

And, Jodie Foster is one of my all-time favourite actresses - she is very choosy about the roles she accepts so I just know the film is going to be fantastic.
Will you have much say in the final production?
_________________
Currently reading: The Tent The Bucket and Me by Emma Kennedy and Granny The Pag by Nina Bawden

1001 Challenge Books read in 2009 - 3
1001 Challenge Books read in 2008 - 8
1001 Challenge Books read in 2007 - 13

Tatiana · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:15 pm Post subject:

jobar · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:15 pm Post subject:

Bonsoir Tatiana,

I am always fascinated by book covers and think the paperback of the little girl in red is so poignant..how much input did you have with the book cover design...?
BTW Jodie Foster would be my idea of Julia too....any idea how long it will be in pre production ?

annecater · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:16 pm Post subject:

You are tempting me so much now, knowing that you have other novels out there - but I cant read or speak French - are there any plans to have them translated into English?
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Currently reading: The Tent The Bucket and Me by Emma Kennedy and Granny The Pag by Nina Bawden

1001 Challenge Books read in 2009 - 3
1001 Challenge Books read in 2008 - 8
1001 Challenge Books read in 2007 - 13

Tatiana · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:20 pm Post subject:

Tigerlily · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:21 pm Post subject:

Bonsoir Tatiana (hope I've said that right!)

I really hope Jodie Foster plays the role of Julia. She's a fantastic actress and would do the role justice. All the best with the film production of Sarah's Key.
_________________
Reading: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
Reading Challenge 2009: 8
2008: 4
2007: 10

Tatiana · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:21 pm Post subject:

Welcome to Babbling Books, Guest. We Hope You Enjoy Your Stay and Wish You a Merry Christmas!