Sorj Chalandon - Le livre de Kells

When the past inspires writing. Sorj Chalandon presents his book "The Book of Kells," published on August 13, 2025 by Grasset. The book is available for the fall of 2025. Find the book: https://www.mollat.com/livres/3342922... Sorj Chalandon delivers a deeply personal account in his book "The Book of Kells." He revisits his own past, notably his runaway journey at the age of 16, an event that marked his life. The novel explores what happens after running away, when a teenager finds himself alone on the streets, having to survive. The author recounts the months of wandering, the nights in basements, the meals out of garbage cans, and the omnipresent violence that shaped him. It was during this time that he encountered the far left, a movement that reached out to him and distanced him from his racist and anti-Semitic family background. It was with these people that he discovered culture, cinema, painting, literature—worlds he was unfamiliar with. The title of the novel, "The Book of Kells," is inspired by a postcard the author carried with him, a talisman that protected him. It's also a name he chose for himself, an alias he would keep until he joined Libération. Sorj Chalandon explains why he chose to write this story in the form of a novel, a genre that allows him to protect himself, while ensuring that the reader is fully aware of the autobiographical element. Through his character of Kells, he also tells the story of a generation, that of the 1970s, marked by political and ideological violence, but also by an ideal of justice. He particularly discusses the importance of the fight against Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism, a cause that at the time united activists of different persuasions. 00:00 Introduction 0:10 "L'Enragé": A Fiction That Precedes Reality 0:32 What to do once you've escaped? 1:07 The Street: Jack Kerouac vs. Reality 1:46 The Outstretched Hand of the Far Left 2:15 From a Far-Right Father to the Far Left 2:52 Openness to Culture and Literature 3:18 The Meaning of the Title "The Book of Kells" 4:30 The Story of Kells, the Author's Alter Ego 4:51 Protecting Oneself Behind the Word "Novel" 5:26 From the Civil War to Journalism 6:56 The Newspaper "Libération," the Exclamation Point 7:16 The 1970s, a Time of Clarity Music Notes: © Mollat Subtitles automatically generated in French by YouTube. Visit the website: http://www.mollat.com/ Follow the Mollat ​​bookstore on social media: Instagram:   / librairie_mollat   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Librairie.mo... Twitter:   / librairiemollat   Linkedin:   / votre-libraire-mollat   Pinterest:   / librairiemollat   Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/mollat WhatsApp: https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029...