Brigitte Giraud’s novel, Live Fast, is available now from Ecco Books, so we asked her a few questions about writing, reading, alternate careers, and more. This interview was translated by Cory Stockwell.
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What’s the best or worst writing advice you’ve ever received?
The worst advice is to make an outline before you begin to write. I never make an outline, I just have a vague idea when I begin a book, and what I like is going in directions I couldn’t have foreseen.
Who is the person, or what is the place or practice that had the most significant impact on your writing education?
When I was twenty-five, I was a journalist for the newspaper Libération. I didn’t imagine at the time that one day I would become a novelist. The fact that my editor in chief was rigorous and demanding forced me to weigh each word carefully.
The plight of the journalist is that he never has enough space to work with. He has to write in a tight, exact manner. Just one adjective, but the right one!
Which of your characters is your favorite?
I have a weakness for Paco Rabanne, the fashion designer I discuss at the end of the book. His life was extraordinary and always fascinated me. I’d like to write a book about him.
Which non-literary piece of culture—film, tv show, painting, song—could you not imagine your life without?
Pop music, of course!
What’s a book you recommend to other writers?
The Yellow Birds, by Kevin Powers—a masterpiece.
If you weren’t a writer, what would you do instead?
I’d be a pop music star, of course! But a pop star who deals in dark beauty. Who doesn’t drone on and on like a writer. Who finds an alchemy between words and music. Who plays with the mystery of the voice.
I love the immediacy of concerts. They’re all about vibrations, balance, feelings. Sometimes three words and two guitar chords are enough to reach a communion with the audience, and this doesn’t happen anywhere else.
But unfortunately I’m pretty shy, and I don’t play any instruments. I love the idea of the elegant, refined, magnetic, and brooding pop star, in the style of Nick Cave.
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Live Fast by Brigitte Giraud and translated by Cory Stockwell is available via Ecco.
