On the train that takes him to the Poussay fair this Saturday, Jordan Bardella jokes about his supposed discretion since the start of the school year: “I seem to have disappeared?” The book did not have the “I write myself” option! » The tone is still sharp and his determination intact. After a rather discreet media return and a few escapades abroad (UN congress in New York, meeting with the Danish Minister of Immigration and participation in the Forum for Democracy in Athens under the leadership of the New York Times), Jordan Bardella is preparing his return to the light. “You want some Bardella?” You will be served”warns those around him.
On November 9, the date of the public release of his first book from Fayard, the promotion will begin, Bardella style, suffice to say we will hear it. What I’m looking fora title that is enigmatic to say the least, and a cover that takes up the chic and sober codes of Barack Obama’s memoirs. Sorry! Jordan Bardella will therefore enter the circle of political authors. On November 10, launch of a marathon tour with a meeting and a signing session in Lot-et-Garonne, before a big launch evening in Paris on the 12th, where RN parliamentarians, journalists and observers of political life will be invited . “It will be as intense as an electoral campaign”promises his team, which announces one trip per day. No doubt, the president of the RN will oversaturate the space and scour the bookstores.
What does Bardella say in this thick work of more than 300 pages? After the dedication to his parents, Olivier and Luisa, the book is divided into three acts. The first part looks back at the 2024 campaigns – European and legislative. Jordan Bardella takes us behind the scenes of the conquest of power. The second, more personal and “difficult to write” by his own admission, looks back on his Italian roots, his childhood. Finally, the third part is devoted to his vision for France.
He reveals the private side of his journey with Marine Le Pen
Don’t expect an ultra-detailed economic policy program, nor a heavy-handed essay on the public debt. This book has a completely different ambition: to shape the image of Jordan Bardella and emancipate him from the historical line of the RN. He outlines a balance between his pro-business inclination and his social fiber, while adopting a nuanced position on the war in Ukraine and assumes his affiliation with “the right”. Jordan Bardella claims to be modern, breaking with the outdated image of RN histories. The final chapter, which he says he had the most fun writing, looks at his relationship with the tutelary figure of the RN, Marine Le Pen. For the first time, it reveals the private side of their journeys.
The writing was sometimes not without pain. On several occasions, he had to rework his manuscripts. “If your stomach hurts, the book will be good”an editor told him. Jordan Bardella claims to have written these 450,000 characters alone, refining the final corrections during the long hours of the last plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The publication was planned just after the European elections, but was disrupted by the episode of the dissolution and the legislative elections which followed, pushing Bardella to rewrite two thirds of the work this summer. The beaches of the Amalfi Coast and the Côte d’Azur were his summer refuges where he could pick up his pen.
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Skeptical at first, a close friend now predicts resounding success: “Everything comes together for a hit: a massive cast, a character, a precise promo and ideal timing. There will probably be as many Bardellas under the trees as there are boxes of chocolates this year. » Promising? Pre-orders place What I’m looking for in first position on Amazon in less than 24 hours.
This work, he thinks, allowed him to take a step back and sharpen his speech. Rather than rushing into the media arena, he preferred to withdraw for a while, letting the government storm subside. So he saved his claws for later, containing his irritation with the management of the executive, particularly during the presidential consultations at the end of August. Invited to the Élysée by Emmanuel Macron on a Friday, Jordan Bardella declined, referring to extending his leave. To the president’s entourage, he replied: “Given how he treated us during the campaign, there’s no question of interrupting my vacation. See you Monday. » One more weekend to polish his book, before returning for a formal and discreet start to the school year. Apparently confident, Jordan Bardella knows that the success of this book partly depends on the continuation of his long march towards power.
What I’m looking for, Jordan Bardella, Fayard, 348 pages, 22.90 euros.
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