We met Thierry Jan at a literary café where he was presenting his latest work, a short story: Sergeant Pistache.
This writer clarifies to us: “I have been a writer since my childhood, unfortunately, I lost all my old manuscripts after two relocations.” This author is not new to the field, having self-published five novels in the early 2000s, one of which was awarded by the Academy of Provence.
He then confides in us, “I dared, somewhat pushed by friends and especially female friends, to take the plunge and sent a manuscript to a publisher in the backcountry of Nice. It was accepted and published by Mille Plumes Publishing.
“The Last Summer.” It’s the story of two kids in the Roya Valley during the summer of 1939, hence the title. This novel was released in March 2013.” The author returned in the fall, this time with a Parisian publisher. Edilivre Paris accepted My Uncle Jules. “I remained in the Roya Valley and, somewhat inspired by the film Lacombe Lucien, I wanted, through this character of Jules, to try to understand how we could have gotten to that monstrosity of collaboration.
Is Uncle Jules a bastard? I leave it to the reader to answer.” Thierry explains to us the circumstances of his new story: “The Edilivre Paris publishing house launched a challenge for their authors: write a short story on the theme of power in 48 hours. I had fun writing Sergeant Pistache. I wanted to demonstrate the little bosses, so I deliberately exaggerated the caricature of this petty officer. The ending is actually a moral lesson; this short story could be described as a fable.”
The writer shares his projects with us. “I have created a character, Commissioner Hennic. I can tell you that in May or June, you should discover his first investigation. Room number 3, still with Edilivre Paris.” When asked if Commissioner Hennic will solve other mysteries, he assures us that there are already three investigations completed and a fourth being proofread. This name, Hennic? “My Breton roots, my father was from Guingamp in the Côtes d’Armor, must have resurfaced in the name of this character. I would like to specify that all my novels are set in our region, Nice and its surroundings. The landscapes, the sun, and the climate lend themselves delightfully to artistic creation.”
We leave him with his public; like any author, he hosts a book signing session. Thierry Jan, a local writer, a writer to discover.
