After Marlène in Playboy, the erotic writings of Bruno Le Maire. Arousing ridicule on social networks, the new novel by the Minister of Finance once again forces the government to explain its image and its communication.
“American Runaway”, the latest novel by Bruno le Maire (published by Gallimard) was released in bookstores last Thursday. It is dedicated to the pianist Vladimir Horowitz, through the story of two brothers who travel to Cuba to attend one of his concerts and whose lives are turned upside down. But it is one page of this book that caught the eye, the one where one of the novel’s protagonists describes extreme sexual arousal in the most explicit terms. These lines made the rounds on social media, prompting an abundance of sarcasm and mockery.
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Present in the media to comment on the political and social crisis in the midst of a unitary May 1 protest against the pension reform, the leaders of the majority did not escape questions on the rawest page of the latest opus of the writer minister.
“It shows that behind the costumes of ministers, we are sometimes criticized for it, there are feelings”, replied on BFMTV and RMC the Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt, a little embarrassed. He conceded that he had not read the book, only the erotic passage that “makes you smile”.
But beyond the eyebrows raised in the face of this erotic passage and criticism of the minister’s style, the publication of this novel has revived political questioning. Is the government not out of step with the mood of the country, plunged into the pension crisis, marked by new demonstrations on Monday on the occasion of May 1?
Between Fitch and inflation
“A new Alfred Jarry would be needed to write Ubu Roi, he could also write Ubu à Bercy” to describe the latest episodes concerning Bruno Le Maire, ironically on Sunday the deputy La France insoumise (LFI) François Ruffin, in reference to the writer of burlesque and the absurd. For him, the Minister of Finance should not have “a minute, an hour, a week of his time to devote to writing a book” when the French know “big worries about inflation”.
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« The country is struggling against pension reform. Meanwhile, Minister Bruno Le Maire is writing novels”also pinged LFI MP Thomas Portes on Twitter.
Coincidentally, the publication of Bruno Le Maire’s book coincided within a few hours with the announcement of the downgrading of France’s financial rating by the American agency Fitch.
The rebellious elected drew the parallel with the controversy resulting from the recent interview of the Secretary of State for the Social and Solidarity Economy Marlène Schiappa, granted to the magazine Playboy. ” It looks alike “, he noted. The appearance of the minister on the front page of the charming magazine, with supporting photos, had displeased Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne who had called her to order. It risked giving the impression of a dispersed government in its communication.
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Added to this was the destabilizing effect of an interview given at the end of March by President Emmanuel Macron to the newspaper Pif.
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“A need worth getting up early”
Author of 13 books, including five in the last four years, Bruno Le Maire claims this double career, political and literary. “If there were only politics without the freedom that literary and romantic creation gives, politics would not be enough”he explained last week in an interview with AFP.
In a short text published on Twitter, the minister also justified himself, explaining that he was “dedicated to the service of the French”, all in “(taking care) of (his) personal balance”. “Some go to museums, cinemas, concert halls, football stadiums. Others garden or go hiking. As for me, I write. (…), did he declare. It is a need that is worth getting up earlier, going to bed later, devoting your weekends and vacations to. »
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“He (Bruno Le Maire) organizes his time as he wants”, estimated for his part on LCI the boss of the Modem François Bayrou, recalling that he had also written books while he held ministerial functions. The centrist leader did not say whether he would read “American Runaway” and was careful not to comment on the literary quality of the work.
On his account Instagramthe writer Nicolas Mathieu, Goncourt Prize 2018, sees “a little overkill” in reviews of the novel’s erotic passage. “What piece of this nature wouldn’t seem ridiculous taken out of context, taken in isolation? ». More “little exercise in style”he also enjoys proposing a rewrite.
