Stéphane Bigeard is the author of his first novel titled “From the Shadows to the Northern Light.” A title as enigmatic as it is fitting for this gripping and dynamic story. The reader wonders: can we imagine light without shadow, the sun without the night? Some remain in the shade, while others choose to step out… This shape-shifting novel changes form as you read. The book, published by Éditions Jets d’Encre in the summer of 2021, opens with unattributed quotes. The preface is signed by Gervais Martel, the iconic former president of the Racing Club de Lens. One phrase stands out: “One might think that everything in this book is fictional, invented, and yet I believe that everything in it is true.” This great sportsman, now retired, was crowned champion of France in 1998 as well as runner-up in 2002. Strongly involved in charitable works in Lens in the North and in Senegal, this icon of Northern football has always been aware of the delicate position of a club like Lens. Indeed, poverty in the Hauts-de-France is not a recent affair. The success of a club from a region often mocked for its economic lag is all the more gratifying for those who believe in karma and merit.
It all begins with a meeting between the narrator’s manager and the main character, Axel. In 1996, the management consultant embarks on a crazy bet. A series of decisive meetings for his future follows. The “key cog” of the team is the coach, the “Menhir.”
In reality, Stéphane Bigeard is one with his alter ego Axel. The pun references the renowned RC Lens coach, Daniel Leclercq, known as “the Druid.” The same year of France’s World Cup victory, the coach led his team to win the French Cup in 1998 at the Bollaert stadium. This impressively recognizable man passed away on November 22, 2019, at the age of 70. The new writer-consultant expert had already confirmed to the media that this death prompted him to write the book “From the Shadows to the Northern Light.”
After all, telling the story is to make it endure and render it eternal. Nostalgic football enthusiasts will enjoy following step by step the evolution of the “Charbons Ardents” (Ardent Coals). In a typical 90s atmosphere, the reader accompanies and celebrates alongside the characters the victories but also the doubts and defeats. To detail this adventure worthy of a film, the author chose Éditions Jets d’Encre, located in the Paris Basin, specifically in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés. Thanks to their varied catalog and highly diversified editorial line, the writer can include personalized elements that effectively allow him to stand out. Besides engaging drawings and an original layout, readers will notice great clarity in the use of sports commentators during the matches. This break, far from losing the reader, gives the text a very oral aspect. In this sense, the reader can “hear inside his head” and rely on his memories for the particular tone of sports-loving journalists. One of the main strengths of this novel is the realism of each scene, highlighted by a displayed tenderness that the author seems to feel for these very real characters with fictitious names.
Thanks to original chapter titles, suspense is maintained, and the reader wishes to know more about the rise of this Northern club to the top. For example, “the rage within,” “the takeover,” “making the extraordinary ordinary”… As well as amusing and surprising titles: “Master Yoda,” “Melon Culture,” or “Laughter,” rich in emotions, especially once you know Stéphane Bigeard’s background. Without “spoiling” future readers of this novel, the story behind “From the Shadows to the Northern Light” is a quest for self-improvement. A challenge to acquired knowledge and a sometimes overly conservative and counterproductive way of doing things. For the ego, it can be tricky, even painful, to question decades of “old-school” operation. But to deconstruct an edifice and improve it, checking the foundations is necessary.
In reality, Stéphane Bigeard’s novel almost embodies an idea of symbolism: through the French’s favorite sport, one of the most popular disciplines worldwide, the consultant manages to create a kind of “Bible” of personal development applicable to all scenarios.
Finally, for those who feel little for this national sport of football, this exploration filled with humility allows them to perceive this ultra-selective universe differently. If football in 2022 is no longer the same as in 1998, it’s still important, even ideal for each enthusiast, to learn more about its history.
So, why not embark on the journey alongside the famous “Charbons Ardents” team? The characters discover more about themselves, and the many management techniques of Alex-Stéphane can also resonate in the reader’s heart…
The book’s website: [https://www.stephane-bigeard.com](https://www.stephane-bigeard.com)
