Les imposteurs de l'amour

The story of "the man with a thousand faces" is the extraordinary tale of a commonplace heartbreak: male infidelity. Ricardo is a master con artist: he assumes multiple identities to maintain several romantic relationships simultaneously, unbeknownst to all his partners. Lately, these kinds of romantic scams have been on the rise. While cases of romantic infidelity are commonplace, manipulators like Ricardo fascinate and challenge our relationship with others, with love, and with truth. Who are these con artists, and what is their modus operandi? Why are these love con artists primarily men? And above all, what motivates all these lies? To better understand the phenomenon of romance scams, Victoire Tuaillon interviews journalist Sonia Kronlund, author of The Man with a Thousand Faces (Grasset, 2024), an account of an investigation also adapted into a documentary film and featured in an episode of Les Pieds sur terre (France Culture). Using the fascinating case of Ricardo, she reveals the mechanisms of control behind romantic deception and examines the relationship to masculinity of these con artists. REFERENCES CITED IN THE EPISODE Find all the references cited in the episode at https://www.binge.audio/podcast/les-c... CREDITS Les Couilles sur la table is a podcast by Victoire Tuaillon produced by Binge Audio. This interview was prepared and conducted by Victoire Tuaillon, and recorded on Friday, May 31, 2024, at the Virginie Despentes studio of Binge Audio (Paris, 19th arrondissement). Sound recording: Paul Bertiaux. Directed and mixed by: Clément Morel. Produced by: Naomi Titti. Edited by: Lucile Leboutet and Naomi Titti. Edited by: Lucile Leboutet and Naomi Titti. Marketing and communications: Jeanne Longhini and Lise Niederkorn. Opening credits: Théo Boulenger. Graphic design: Pierre Hatier (Upian). Sound identity composition: Jean-Benoît Dunckel. Sound identity voice: Bonnie El Bokeili. Head of programming: Joël Ronez. Head of editorial: David Carzon. General manager: Gabrielle Boeri-Charles.