Metin Arditi: «In all my books, I've sought my father's esteem».»

Le Regard Libre N° 37 - Jonas Follonier

Known for his many cultural commitments, Metin Arditi has become one of Switzerland's most important writers in recent years. The author of Sephardic Turkish origin opened the doors of his Geneva home to us for a discussion of his latest novel, Mon père sur mes épaules (2017), published by Editions Grasset. In this interview, we discuss one of the common threads running through his work: the relationship with his father.

Le Regard Libre: In your book Mon père sur mes épaules (My Father on My Shoulders), you recount the momentous episode when one of your two daughters reached the age of seven. You write: «Suddenly I understood what, at her age, I had been deprived of. I was devastated.» Is that the starting point for this book?

Metin Arditi: The question of whether Pâris and Hélène should be condemned for the fact that their love sparked off the D'Alessandro war is an important one.