During a masterclass recorded at the BnF for France Culture, Marie-Hélène Lafon looks back on her relationship with writing, her attachment to Cantal and her way of shaping her texts. A fascinating interview.
If you love the podcast Bookmakers of Richard Gaitettthe other unmissable event to discover the little secrets of writers at work is undoubtedly that of Masterclasses of France Cultureenregistrées chaque année à la BnF.
The opportunity to hear writers, filmmakers and artists from all backgrounds talk about their way of working, constructing and producing their works.
This was recently the case of Marie-Hélène Lafona major figure in contemporary French literature who, since his literary debut in 2001, has tirelessly explored the same themes. A singular voice which tells, through his novels and short stories, his native Cantal and the rural world in a frontal way, without embellishments, with a real sociological dimension in the background.
“Offscreen”, by Marie-Hélène Lafon: story of a life of hard work
At the microphone of Géraldine Mosna-Savoyethe author, who was once a French teacher, talks about her relationship with writing. Listening to her, we sometimes have the impression that she sculpts her texts more than she writes them.
She also explains her attachment to Cantal, omnipresent in her work, where she tells the story of the peasant world and family ties from the 20th century until today through deeply realistic characters. She particularly emphasizes everything that is said, but also everything that is not said, in this universe punctuated by the work of the land and breeding.
Like most authors who go through these masterclasses, Marie-Hélène Lafon also talks about her way of working on a daily basis: how she writes, rereads her texts out loud and has them corrected by a loyal friend. She also explains that, for her, a text is never really finished, with always this need to modify a detail, to replace a comma with a semicolon or to rework a sentence.
A fascinating, enlightening and instructive interview, which allows us to better understand the work of Marie-Hélène Lafon.
Benoit RICHARD
Marie-Hélène Lafon: “Let’s read to keep the chaos of the world at bay”
Pair Géraldine Mosna-Savoye
Durée : 1h02
Listen to podcast since May 14, 2026
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