the essential
Audrey Marty is a Toulouse woman passionate about her hometown and little-known female personalities. In her latest, well-documented book, in a careful and precise style, she relates the journey of the Iron Lady from Paris to New York in 1885.
After two Books devoted to extraordinary women, and two works of art, Audrey Marty published her first novel: “The Voyage of Lady Liberty”, published by Les presses littéraires.
This time, the 42-year-old woman from Toulouse takes us aboard the Isère in May 1885, heading for New York. Through Gabrielle Saint-Geniez, the first female journalist at Dépêche du Midi, Audrey recounts the epic tale of the Statue of Liberty from the Parisian workshops to the port of New York. If the character of Gabrielle is fictitious (the Dépêche du Midi welcomed the first female journalist in 1913), the facts recounted, on the other hand, are true.
The author, an archivist and art historian by training, relied on her knowledge, newspapers of the time as well as two biographies of Auguste Bartholdi to write her book. “To create the character of Gabrielle, I was inspired by Nellie Bly, the first great reporter who was also a teacher and who fought to create schools and by Marguerite Durand, the founder of the newspaper La Fronde at the end of the 19th century. century. I had fun mixing the true with the false,” emphasizes Audrey Marty.
“A tribute to women”
In an era then dominated by men, the author highlights these shadowy heroines to whom today's women owe so much. “It is also a tribute that I pay to these pioneers. »
Throughout her research, Audrey had a few surprises. Among his discoveries: the difficulties encountered in raising the funds to install the Statue of Liberty in New York or the ban on women and black people from participating in the inauguration of “Lady Liberty”, a symbol of hope for all immigrants.
Audrey's next book will highlight a male character: Roland Bonaparte, a scientist whose photos on primitive peoples are kept at the Museum of Toulouse. “I would also like to write about women's participation in the effort during the First World War. »
Since the book was released, Audrey has participated in 15 meetings. She mainly speaks in libraries to discuss the heroines of her books and would now like to share her knowledge with schoolchildren or college students.
Next signing dates: November 30, at the Fonsorbes bookstore; December 7, at the Attitude bookstore, in Lavaur, at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; December 14 at the Sanchez de Bruguière bookstore, and December 21 at the Au fil des mots bookstore, in Blagnac, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
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