Pierre Laville is a writer, playwright and director. His own plays and adaptations are performed by the greatest theaters (Comédie-Française, Odéon, Chaillot, Antoine Theater, Porte Saint-Martin, etc.) and have been awarded several Molières and critics’ prizes. “The War had thrown them there” is his first novel. It takes place in Paris from 1942 to the liberation within the Comédie Française during the German occupation.
Paris, 1942. When the Comédie Française was very busy
“Night fell gradually. The light is suddenly, flooding the hallway. The joyful voices of actors dressed as Marquis and Harlequin resound, hurrying backstage. Then a manager in charge of rounding up his people shouts:
– On stage ! More than five minutes. On stage !
In a few moments, after the brigadier’s blows, a life will be born on the set, the time between the raising and lowering of the curtain. Gabrielle walks away, pushing the trolley of suits tightly wrapped in their covers in front of her. »
Paris, winter 1942. The colorful banners displaying the Nazi symbol flap in the wind and unfold on the facades of the Louvre or the big hotels. In these troubled times of German occupation, the Comédie Française sold out: the public rushed to applaud Marie Bell, the greatest actress of her time. Phèdre, Roxane, Chimène, Cléopâtre, Esther, Dona Prouhèze… we no longer count the prestigious roles of this whimsical queen of the theatre.
Around her, precipitated by events beyond their control, consciously or blindly, the greatest minds of the time clashed: Cocteau, Guitry, Arletty, Céline, Sartre, Camus, the Renaud-Barraults, Colette, or even Paul Claudel. Freshly arrived in the capital, a young playwright dreams of breaking through at all costs.
However, once the curtain is down, a choice must be made: turn a blind eye to the revolting compromise, or even collaborate? Or, on the contrary, enter into resistance, and save those who must be saved, such as the young Juliette Gréco who is fleeing the Gestapo?
Being together and remaining yourself, will everyone succeed?
A masterful fresco, this novel revives the dark and glorious hours of authentic characters, who shone through their courage or their cowardice. Everything is true, or almost. (Presentation of Robert Laffont editions)