Portrait of reader Lyndz Dantiste

After participating in the 23^e Jamais Lu Montreal Festival, actor Lyndz Dantiste is preparing to star in the musical Waitress. In the meantime, he allows us to discover his literary universe.

What are you reading at the moment?

I read Baldwin, Styron and me, by Mélikah Abdelmoumen. Mélikah had brought together a few actors, including myself, to do a reading of this text. How did the black writer James Baldwin and the white writer William Styron allow themselves to write about each other’s history? How can we do it without being caught up in controversy and the question of cultural appropriation? I wanted to dive back into that.

Which novel do you really want to talk about?

From a novel that struck me recently: Mercury full of mouth, by Eve Lemieux. Eve, I met her because we went to the conservatory together. Then she started writing. In this book, she immerses us in the world of stardom, but by addressing the dark side of this environment (drugs, alcohol, parties, toxic relationships…). For some reason, we are hooked on its story, we try to have empathy for its main character, an actress named Marie Mercure. The subject is dark, but I really liked it. And then I appreciated his writing.

Has a book ever moved you to tears?

Yes, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. I absolutely wasn’t expecting that. I realized that it was a love story and I had empathy for this character who, despite his monstrous appearance, just asked to be loved. I found it very sad.

Which novels were real favorites for you?

• A book that I really enjoyed was Chiaroscuro, by Nella Larsen. It takes place in the 1920s and we will follow the story of two African-American childhood friends who are fair-skinned. When they meet again years later, we will discover that one of them has “crossed the line”, that is to say that she is now passing as white. And what’s more, she is married to a racist white man who knows nothing about her origins. Critics were harsh on the author, Nella Larsen, and she switched to nursing. But this woman wrote so well!

• I also fell in love with The large notebook, by Agota Kristof. In fact, I had seen the play put on by Catherine Vidal and then I wanted to read the novel. Entering the world of these twins forced to live with their grandmother is something! The way they see war and the world is as harsh as it is raw.

• The perfume, by Patrick Süskind, was not immediately a favorite for me. I started reading it and it didn’t interest me too much, so I dropped it. I reopened it years later and there, the magic happened. I could smell the smells! It was both a journey into the imagination and a journey for the senses. It upset me to have had this relationship with a book.

Right off the bat, what would you recommend everyone read?

A manga called Haikyu!, by Haruichi Furudate. I read a lot of manga and initially it was my brother who recommended it to me. We follow a volleyball team heading towards the finals. Honestly, I didn’t think I would be so intrigued and interested because the story is only based on volleyball. There is no magic or superheroes. You don’t expect that from a manga. But I found it very sensitive and very touching.

Still on the manga side, what are your main favorites?

I have no choice to go with the series Naruto, by Masashi Kishimoto. I have a rather special relationship with this manga, which I read every week. Towards the end, it left a bitter taste in my mouth. But, a few years later, I rewatched the entire series and fell in love with it again. I appreciated that she spoke about self-emancipation, how we grieve for people who have left their mark on us, and the tenacity to work ever harder to achieve our ultimate goal. All the notions of honor, friendship, family are very touching. I also really liked kingdom, by Yasuhisa Hara, which takes place during the time when there was the War of the Realms. Shin wants to become general of the unification of China. But for that, he must wage war with the other kingdoms in the territory. We see how these people went against certain ideologies to unify this China.

What is your favorite comic?

The series of Rahan, by Roger Lécureux and André Chéret. I loved that. I loved that it took place in prehistory and I loved following this fiery-haired hero who trusted his cutlass!