Jean-Louis SARRATO answers questions from La Gazette du Var.

What happens a few years later?

Au Lycée Jean Aicard, le club théâtre existait toujours. J’avais écrit une deuxième pièce de théâtre qui était une parodie de « Roméo et Juliette ». Elle s’intitulait « Les amis, nous l’avons coulée. (Rires). Je suis parti, ensuite, vivre à Paris. Puis, c'est le théâtre ?

While I was a primary school teacher, I went on stage for a comedy one-man show. I also acted in more classical plays. At the end of the 90s, I wrote a play « Où étiez-vous quand Noémie s’est cousu le vagin ? ». This play was read at the Théâtre du Rond-Point in Paris, directed at the time by Jean-Michel Ribes.

And is that followed by your return to the South?

I returned, still as a primary school teacher, to the Bouches-du-Rhône where I finished my career. I stopped writing at that time. For six years, I was seconded to the Protection Judiciaire de la Jeunesse to work with adolescents under the justice system. Then, upon retiring, I returned to my native land, the Var, and started writing novels.

Notably with « Le Premier domino »?

« Le Premier domino » is my 4th novel, inspired by a true story. I emphasize the term 'inspired'. The real story is about an island off the coast of Mexique called Clipperton, which is under Mexican possession. It is quite an extraordinary island because at the beginning of the 20th century, nothing grew on this island; it was only supplied by boat every three months. Soldiers, a Mexican garrison, and a company harvesting guano lived there. These people were purely and simply forgotten on this island by their government and found themselves cut off from the world for several years.

Where do you find your inspiration?

I stumbled across this incredible story by chance. At first, I wanted to write this story, and then finally, I wanted to talk about colonial France rather than Mexique. I took this island, placed it in the Indian Ocean, so I invented an island with the same layout as Clipperton. Throughout the novel, I enjoyed getting close to the original story and at times moving away from it. There is a constant play, a back and forth. I advise my readers to browse the internet after reading my book to read the story of the island of Clipperton.

Who is your heroine?

It is an epistolary novel. The letters are written by my heroine; I tried to find the way of writing and thinking of a young bourgeois woman in 1907. I immersed myself in the vocabulary, the phrasing, the way of thinking of a 20-year-old woman in 1900. My heroine, who is a positive character, will try to fight against injustices.

In your books, can we feel your love for words?

Each of my novels is in a different universe, a different era, a different style. I don't have two books that are alike. I have written a psychological thriller, a burlesque novel, a novel that is an urban and contemporary tragedy. I love language, words, and I like to work with words and language. I like to give myself an author's challenge. •

You can find Jean-Louis Sarrato on social media: Facebook and Instagram. On his website: jeanlouissarrato.fr His 4th novel « Le premier domino » is published by Éditions de « L’encre y est ».