Photo Emmanuel FOUDROT
Does Mattia Filice always have a book handy when he goes on a date? That day, in any case, was The Infinite Comedy of David Foster Wallace who is with him, a choice he explains as follows: “I really like books that make you want to read. »
This former Vénissian came to talk about Mechanicpublished by POL, and which has just won the René-Leynaud prize. A reward which will be presented to him on November 9 at the Part-Dieu library.
“I was born in Isère but I grew up in Vénissieux, where my mother was posted. I spent the first ten years at 1, rue des Martyrs-de-la-Résistance and I was educated at Henri-Wallon. I was also enrolled in music theory, at the music school, in the old town hall. Childhood shapes and builds us. »
He specifies that he will soon go to his old school to meet the children. “The neighborhood has changed since then but we still preserve the images of the past. Thus, I see again the disused towers of Democracy. They were impressive for the little one that I was. »
His memories flood in, like a grumpy neighbor's Opel Kadett that he had to watch out for when he played ball in the parking lot. “The roads drew boundaries for a child. »
Borders that he had to cross one day. “I lived in Vénissieux and I came to live on Boulevard desUnis. When you're 10 years old, it's like changing countries! » On his readings, he talks a lot about comics — “without being a great discoverer”he explains, smiling — such as Gaston Lagaffe, Asterix, The Blue Tunics or Tintin. As for literature, it was around the age of 18 that Mattia really discovered it. “I started reading and haven’t stopped since. »
A profession useful to society
When he left Vénissieux, he attended the Jean-Giono school, the Longchambon college and the Lumière high school. Mattia then became passionate about cinema and, with his baccalaureate, became a projectionist, “without having the CAP”at the Cinéma Opéra and at the Cinema, impasse Saint-Polycarpe, in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon, between 2001 and 2004. “I discovered Italian neo-realism with The Bicycle Thieffilms like Usual Suspects, Last Hours in Denver…and I'm signing up for a cinema degree. My studies nourish my hobby because I want to do a job that is useful to society and, on the side, make my own films. »
This is how he shot one with a friend, who composed the music. “I scraped and colored 35mm primers that I had collected. »
Mattia applied several times to the SNCF, attracted by a technical position, “which offered a certain independence without a boss on its back”. However, he is hesitant to enroll at Insas, the Belgian documentary school, but believes that accommodation will be complicated.
“I'm going on vacation to Barcelona and, on the way, I talk to controllers who tell me about the need for hiring. » He was finally taken to Paris and became a train driver in 2004. And since Mechanichis first novel, tells the story of someone who works in the same profession, his description on the publisher's website specifies: “It has always been on the rails, departing from Saint-Lazare station in Paris. »
Photo Emmanuel FOUDROT
Mattia was already writing scripts for a cinema he wanted “minimalist” when he has, he says, “switched into the novel”.
Describing a working life, Mattia knows that this has already been done. “For Joseph Ponthus, the author ofOn the lineit was a parenthesis in his life. Robert Linhart, with The Established, is more political, as was also The Excess-factory by Leslie Kaplan. Georges Navel was trained in trade unionism and his Worksin 1945, narrowly missed Goncourt. But many stories from the world of work have a low circulation. »
Tinkering with technical words
Mattia decides to write a text about what he experiences at work in 2019. “I worked staggered hours and I wrote according to my moments of rest, not relying on any notes. Permanent immersion allows memories to be awakened. I had 15 years of experience in the railways then, I have 20 now. I aspired to a literary object and wanted to tinker with technical words, give them another meaning than the one they had, twist them poetically, give them emotion, sensitivity, like a snub. »
Especially since, as he explains, Mattia must have been “very square with words” during his training. Alongside his profession, he takes courses in master of literary creation at the University of Saint-Denis (Paris 8). “I then enter a process where I tell myself that, perhaps, I could publish. In this masterthere are all ages and I am not the only one to be 40 years old but the only one to have a technical profession. I find myself with readers, other students and my professors, all of whom are published. These two years allowed me to gain confidence. »
His defense text takes him to the next phase: presenting it to publishing houses. One of his teachers suggested POL “I had another year of writing work. Even after its publication, I perceive my text as living matter. » The book is finally published on January 5, 2023.
And “takeoff is very slow”, Mechanic aroused a good reception among literary critics, notably Philippe Lançon (Libé) and Sylvie Tanette (Les Inrocks). And receives – for the moment – three prizes. “The one from Empty Wardrobes is a tribute to Annie Ernaux. It is an award that changes its name every year, so as not to be appropriated by publishers. Then I obtained the Valéry-Larbaud prize, the same one that Georges Perros received for Glued papers. »
As for the René-Leynaud prize, which has just been awarded to him and which is managed by the Espace Pandora, he is all the more delighted as it will allow him to return to Vénissieux. As for what comes next, Mattia says: « Mechanic is perhaps a misunderstanding and I will not write more books! » Allow us to doubt and, at least, hope that he gets back to it quickly.
“Mechano” by Mattia Filice, POL editions, 368 pages, 22 euros.
The René-Leynaud prize will be awarded to him on November 9 at 11 a.m. at the Bachut Marguerite-Duras media library, as part of the parole ambulante festival. Free entry. Reservation recommended: 04 72 50 14 78 – [email protected]
Mattia Filice also participates in the Parole ambulante festival.
