Sylvain Tesson is known for his travel stories and literary essays that explore themes of nature, solitude and freedom. After studying geography, Sylvain Tesson embarked on expeditions around the world, which would become the raw material for his literary works. Among his most famous books, we think in particular of In the forests of Siberiapublished in 2011, and which was adapted for the cinema with Raphaël Personnaz in the main role. The writer has also participated in several documentaries and television shows, and received in 2019, the Renaudot prize for The Snow Panther, an account of his quest to observe the mysterious snow leopard in Tibet, alongside wildlife photographer Vincent Munier. The fire at Notre-Dame de Paris, which occurred on April 15, 2019, seriously damaged one of the most emblematic monuments in France and somewhat upset Sylvain Tesson who lives a stone's throw from the cathedral.
In The Sunday newspaper of December 1, the writer spoke at length about the monument, he who lives on the banks of the Seine. “Every morning, from home, he greeted the arrow of Viollet-le-Duc, until the disastrous fire of April 15, 2019″remind our colleagues. And to specify the strong link he maintains with Notre-Dame de Paris: “When he was younger, he was a wanderer on the roofs, he climbed the ‘stone vessel’ hundreds of times”. The artist also followed the progress of the work from A to Z. “I have a visual of it, as the pilots say. I witnessed the raising of the spire, the undressing of the scaffolding. I lived with this construction site, if I may say so, almost every day, when I I was in Paris. I was very happy to find the cathedral. I absolutely welcome this and I would be very reluctant to make the slightest criticism of the technical success of this project.”he assured the JDD.
The signs that Sylvain Tesson saw in the Notre-Dame fire
Sylvain Tesson explained that he wanted to see signs in the Notre-Dame fire and explained it at length during his interview with our colleagues. “The spectacle of the fire of Notre-Dame sent us back to our mediocrity. Suddenly, in the midst of the modern hubbub, of the disorder, in the midst of the villainy, of this passion that the French have for discord, he there was this event, this spectacle so terrible and yet moving which struck us, where each French person was able, for different reasons, to feel like a dagger in his heart”he analyzed.
Then the author continues by indicating that “This event could even give the impression that harmony and unity could exist in France”. “Some cried because it was a terrible artistic, architectural and heritage loss. Others saw it as an eschatological expiation, a harbinger of the Apocalypse”declared the writer convinced of his words. And to conclude frankly on his feelings: “Many others, like me, have detected a sign of the times, a sign of the unfolding catastrophe. Catastrophe seems to be one of the great historical motifs of our time.”.
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