Guest of the show “Le Figaro La Nuit”, presented by Thibaut Gauthier, the writer David Foenkinos castigated the fashion for “cancel-culture” which affects certain works or artists. The author of Charlotte, who obtained the Renaudot in 2014, refuses the concept of “sensitivity readers”, very popular across the Atlantic, where works are controlled before publication so as not to shock.
“It doesn’t have to be reread to be sanitized. We are not going to put limits on everything, says the writer. Fiction allows you to bring to life characters who are not necessarily those with whom you have affinities. We must fight to maintain freedom. I have the same problems when I make films.” David Foenkinos explains that you should not “have the anxiety of not hurting someone.”
The author of The Happy Life returned to the ordeal experienced by J.K Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, after comments deemed “transphobic”. “She hurt a lot of people, but I find it essential that we can express it in the way we want. Burning or erasing your books and the history of Harry Potter seems crazy to me.”
“Cancel culture prevents any form of nuance,” he concludes, taking the example of Nicolas Bedos accused of sexual violence. “Bedos was killed in the media. His series was released on the sly on Amazon. We must be very vigilant about the presumption of innocence.”
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW WITH DAVID FOENKINOS