” The less I live there (it is divided between Italy, Spain and Belgium), the more I want to talk about it. ” he said.
” I am a reader who wanted to write, he says. Since the age of 6, I leafed through the newspaper Les sports (editor’s note: which married La Dernière Heure). My son Christophe, a doctor of philosophy and literature, regularly debated our favorite author Scott Fitzgerald. One day, he gave me a book by Raymond Carver, the king of the American short story. That triggered something. “
“I am a reader who wanted to write. At the age of 6, I leafed through the newspaper “Les Sports”
First novel: “The Mayor of Brussels” comes out in 2020. Finalist of the Sabam Prize, winner of the Manneken Prize. Already Brussels at the heart of his story.
“ This reinforced my desire to write. By including Brussels as a setting, almost as an actor in my stories. I love my city. I am in love with my city. I am nostalgic but a happy nostalgic. I never say that it was better before but not everything is progress. “
“I am nostalgic, but a happy nostalgic”
For “La Trame Profonde”, head to the Marolles, a bistro invented “La Vache qui meurt” but which could be one of those brown cafés that resist in this historic district of the capital. For a neat chaptering that reveals, over the pages, a gallery of characters.
” Fired from his job in an auction house, my character ends up in this café where he will become a regular. It will turn into a rendezvous of dead loves with unusual characters, glasses of Orval and zwanze without the caricature of the Brussels accent. “
After reading it, it would not be surprising if this book turned into a play. To be continued…
He created his own publishing house with his son
A curious glance at the cover of the book reveals the name of a publishing house with a pretty but unknown name, “Aux Palais Outre-Ponts”.
” I have three children and the desire to pass on my knowledge. My daughter Laura took over the real estate business in Spain, her son Matteo the sports sector (management, social media management, etc.) and, with Christophe, the intellectual of the group, we decided to create a publishing house. We manage the life of a book from A to Z. It is very interesting to know the inner workings, the intermediaries and their difficulties. “
