"No Sequel" - French Writer on His Novel About Protasevich and Tsikhanouskaya, Which Made It onto the "Extremist" List

The Ministry of Information has included the novel "Noah" by French writer Marc Levy, published in 2022 and declared extremist by the Central District Court of Minsk this September, in the list of literature that can harm the national interests of the Republic of Belarus.

The novel's action unfolds in 2021. A year earlier, housewife Sviatlana (surname not mentioned — NN) defeats dictator Luchin in the presidential elections. Special services take Sviatlana and her children abroad. On May 23, 2021, Belarusian authorities force an Athens-Vilnius flight with Raman Pratasevich and Sofia Sapega on board to land in Minsk.

Israeli journalist Janice, who belongs to the hacker group "Nine," arrives in Minsk. She must find Pratasevich, who is being held at Akrestsin.

Павялічыць

Marc Levy, whom, along with Jules Verne, Alexandre Dumas, and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, is called the most-read French writer in the world, answered questions from Radio Svaboda.

— When you used Belarusian material as background for your fictional book, did you imagine that it could end up on such "black" lists, as in Belarus?

— No, I didn't. But it's interesting to see that in many countries, people in power who like to show how mighty they are, are so afraid of books. This happens in many places, but I even find it amusing when someone claims to be strong and very powerful, yet is afraid of a book just because there are some words on its pages.

So no, I didn't imagine such a turn of events, but it doesn't bother me too much. I mean, I'm sad for the people who ban books because they don't agree with their content, but this is a common thing.

— When you gathered material for the book, did you invest a lot of time and effort to study the events in Belarus, or was it not so essential for you, and the events were just a background for artistic fiction?

— It was a combination of both approaches. Well-known writers, such as John le Carré, for example, wrote about autocratic governments and the lives of people under autocratic rule. I wrote "Noah" four years ago, if I'm not mistaken. Since then, I've written at least three books. And I always document as much as I can for myself.

In this case, it wasn't so easy to get documentary material. I remember asking my reporter and journalist acquaintances about it. I tried to document as much as possible, but remember that "Noah" is a fictional novel. And it's important to remember that it's a novel whose action takes place in a specific environment. It's a novel about resistance, which is probably why autocratic authorities are so afraid of it.

— You used the real names of some real people in this book. Was it important for you that the main characters of the book behaved closely to those whose names they bear?

— If these are public figures — then yes. If these are public figures and you are narrating real events, genuine statements, or decisions they made that affect the lives of many people, I think it's important. Why hide it?

The key question is always that there is a difference — accusing someone of something or simply stating accurately that someone did something. That's why I always try to use people's names.

When you write a story about real events — for example, when I wrote "Symphony of Monsters," a book that tells about the abduction of thousands of Ukrainian children by Vladimir Putin's regime and the role of Maria Lvova-Belova, for which they both received arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity — this is a fact. So why change their names?

Maria Belova in Russia organized a systematic program of deportation of Ukrainian children, changing their names, citizenship, and erasing Ukrainian culture. Yes, this is a fact. So why should I change her name? If she wants to sue me, let her. But it's not me whom the International Criminal Court accused of crimes against humanity.

— Have you followed what happened to the prototypes of some of your characters since your book was published four years ago? Because in the book, villains and heroes appear in a more or less pure form. But, for example, Roman Pratasevich was released from prison and became a state propagandist. Some say he was tortured and broken in captivity, while others dispute this. Siarhei Tsikhanouski was released through negotiations between the US and the Lukashenka government, and now he criticizes his wife Sviatlana's office. Would you be interested in describing how people change, including under external pressure, in difficult circumstances?

— The same Alexei Navalny was not broken. He died, but his legacy will outlive his death for many generations to come. Jean Moulin did not break. He was in the French Resistance, was tortured to death, and we still talk about Jean Moulin.

I cannot judge anyone here. One does not know what will happen to them under torture. But again, it's a fact — some people break, and some don't. Some die, and some survive because they break and surrender. But I will never condemn anyone.

My father was subjected to long and severe torture in prison during World War II, and he did not break. But that doesn't make him a greater hero than someone who did break. I myself don't know what I would do if I were tortured. Therefore, I certainly have no right to judge. In general, it's very unfair to judge someone who broke or was destroyed by torture, because that is one of the goals of torture.

I don't know enough about the events in Belarus since I wrote the book. But this is not a rhetorical question, it's a real human question. And it could be the subject of another book. Does a person under torture really renounce what they believed in? Does true indoctrination occur, or does the person truly change their convictions? I don't know.

— And would you be interested in using any of the heroes or anti-heroes from "Noah" in any of your future books and showing how life changes them?

— Well, it depends on who we're talking about. I've used characters from the hacker group "Nine" in various novels. They appeared in "Symphony of Monsters," and some of them appeared in my latest novel. They are, I would say, my long-term partners. Many writers have characters they enjoy working with, tracking, and watching develop alongside their own lives. I'm talking about positive characters here.

As for villains and how interesting it is to return to them… For example, if fair elections were held in Belarus tomorrow, which would be an interesting topic for a new book — though I would hardly take it on now, but hypothetically — then returning to one of the villains would make sense. But I mean, I don't want to write the same book twice.

— I'm more asking about the real people who became protagonists for your book, and the changes that happen to them...

— Well, yes, for a book it's interesting to show the evolution of a character. If there's a strong evolution of a character, then that could be the subject of a book. If the character is the same as they were five years ago, it's not interesting. For example, writing a book about Navalny is truly very interesting, because the evolution of this person over the last 10 years of his life is absolutely fascinating.

You see, I'm trying to say that there are documents and there are novels. Documents exist to inform you. Novels primarily exist to evoke an emotion in you that will help you understand.

Let me give one example here. When I was young, I worked for the Red Cross, in a unit that dealt with people who, for example, were trapped in a building during an earthquake or stuck in a car after an accident.

At that very time in France, lawmakers wanted to make seat belt use mandatory. And many people were against it, calling it a restriction of freedom. Meanwhile, I was working night shifts, trying to pull people out of cars after accidents. And I couldn't understand how one could be against this measure.

Back then, 17,000 people died on the roads every year. And that number meant nothing, absolutely nothing. Because 17,000, 50,000, or 100,000 — these are just numbers. But if you tell the story of a child who lost their parents in a car accident, then you will feel a connection with that person.

This explains the ability of a film or a book to help us understand something, to stir society, to strengthen our human values, and to push us towards what benefits humanity, not just a very few people. This is the meaning of a book and the meaning of writing.

That is why autocrats are so afraid of books and debates. Because a book can make you indignant, it can shake your confidence.

— You already said that if fair elections were held in Belarus, it could be an interesting topic for a new book. And would you be interested in visiting Belarus if it were safe for you?

— Now it is definitely unsafe for me to go to Belarus, as it is to Russia. And you know, when I say this, I'm not scared, I'm sad. It's sad to realize that if you write a book and express your opinion, you can be in danger.

And this is a sign of weakness in the one who threatens you. Because if they were as strong as they claim, they wouldn't be afraid of a writer, a singer, or any other artist.

I can't say that I am obsessed with Belarus as such. However, I truly believe in the strengths of democracy. I'm not saying democracy is perfect. It is absolutely imperfect. But at 65, having worked my whole life in a humanitarian organization, I am absolutely convinced that it is the best form of governance.

And some figures confirm this. Life expectancy, quality of life, health, education, and food products are generally better in democracies compared to autocracies. But the world is what it is, and some countries remain under the shroud of autocracy for a certain period until it changes.

As a writer, this topic fascinates me. It fascinates me that at a certain moment, a country becomes grey, and at another moment, it changes its color. I've always believed that democracy comes from within, not from without. So I just hope that one day in Belarus, a book can be published without ending up on some list and without facing threats.

The principle of any autocratic regime is to try to silence opposition through fear and repression. But the right to resist and express one's opinion is a fundamental right. I firmly believe in the Declaration of Human Rights and am convinced that anyone who denies human rights is mistaken.

My father was in the Resistance. He was arrested, tortured, he escaped from a train, he returned to the fight. When he joined the Resistance in 1943, all of Europe was occupied by the Nazis, and the Nazis were extremely strong, while the Resistance seemed very weak. But in the end, the Resistance won. So let us hope and live.

***

Marc Levy is a French novelist, architect, and designer by profession.

During World War II, Levy's grandparents died in the Auschwitz concentration camp, and the future writer's father, Raymond Levy, was a member of the Resistance movement in France.

In 1979, Marc Levy joined the Red Cross organization, where three years later he was appointed regional director of the Western Emergency Aid Department of Paris. In 1982, while still a second-year university student, he founded his first company — Logitec France. In 1984, Levy moved to the USA, where he became one of the founders of two companies (in California and Colorado) specializing in computer graphics. Returning to France in 1991, Levy co-founded Eurythmic-Cloiselec, a company specializing in construction and interior design.

In 1998, Marc Levy wrote his first book, "Et si c'était vrai" ("If Only It Were True"), which was published the following year and became a bestseller. After selling the film rights to this book to a Hollywood studio (the movie "Just Like Heaven," with Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo in the lead roles), Levy left business and dedicated himself to writing. Since then, he has published more than two dozen novels.

• 2
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0