Read Finding Monsieur Right (2010) Online
Authors: Muriel Zagha
Finding Monsieur Right (2010) (42 page)
'Etienne, I love you!' she exclaimed.
'Oh,
you
,' he said, his mouth on hers. 'Say it again.'
'
Je t'aime
.'
'
Je t'aime aussi.
You're trembling.'
'A little bit. But I'm not cold.'
'I know. Come here.'
The musicians picked up the pace, and launched into a song Daisy had never heard before. By now the sun was deliciously warm and the gilt dome of the Bibliotheque Mazarine sparkled in a Parisian sky of radiant blue. Etienne pulled Daisy close to him and, slowly, they began to dance.
Ebury Press Fiction Footnotes
An exclusive interview with Muriel Zagha. ...
What was the inspiration for Finding Monsieur Right?
It's a piece of fiction loosely inspired by my own experience - I have worked both as an academic and as a fashion PR and am, like Isabelle, a French expat in London.
The idea of the Paris-London flat exchange came to me when I was on holiday in France and kept noticing, as ever, how incredibly different people are on either side of the Channel. I just wondered idly what would happen to these two girls once they were transplanted into each other's world. Then I became pregnant with my son. It was a very happy time and it triggered something: I sat down to write and the whole thing really came to life.
As a French writer writing in English, did you find Daisy harder to write than Isabelle?
No. The writing of the book was powered by the contrast between two temperaments. It was fun to keep switching from one to the other, between Daisy's enthusiastic ditziness and Isabelle's (hopefully comical) serious-mindedness.
Obviously, I have inside knowledge of what it's like to be French, and my educational background is very similar to Isabelle's. Her circle of Parisian friends was inspired by the very specific sliver of people I knew when I was a student - typically, young people from the haute bourgeoisie who like to intellectualize everything!
When it came to the British side of things, I have probably lived here long enough - almost twenty years - to have become somewhat acclimatised, and in any case the idea was always to go against certain stereotypes, in particular the idea that all French girls are raving sex kittens. Here it's Daisy who's the bombshell and Isabelle who's the repressed, buttoned-up one.
And in a similar vein, are you more like Daisy or Isabelle?
They're both my girls and I love them equally, but neither of them is based on me. With a biggish cast, you tend to channel yourself into many different characters. I suspect most of what I'm really like is split between Chrissie the hat maker and Legend the uncouth goth - though I personally draw the line at opening beer bottles with my teeth.
Which would you choose if you could only choose one: fashion or academia?
I am becoming increasingly frivolous in middle age, so probably fashion, but only provided I could be as groundbreaking and revered as Savage!
What do you think the most useful phrase an English woman in Paris should know?
Probably a firm '
Laissez-moi tranquille!
' (Leave me alone!) as French men can be very persistent. French comic writer Pierre Daninos wrote: 'In the street, French men gaze at women; Englishmen walk past them.' It's an entirely different level of exposure for a girl.
And what about as a French woman in England?
'Hello, I'm French.' - a good all-round ice-breaker. Beyond that you find yourself up to your neck in an ocean of complexity and perplexity. The English language is wonderfully subtle: something as simple as an 'Oh, really?' can mean so many different things.
Do you dream in English or French?
Both, mysteriously, depending on the context. My subconscious is bilingual.
Which book are you reading at the moment?
The Allure of Chanel
, by travel writer Paul Morand, a fascinating memoir based of conversations he had with the couturiere in the 1940s, which suggests overall that fashion revolutions are not achieved by those blessed with a sweet and accommodating disposition.
Who are your favourite authors?
From heavyweight to featherweight: Proust, Jane Austen and PG Wodehouse. Comedy of manners is my favourite thing.
Which classic have you always meant to read and never got round to it?
Too many to mention, but I'd say
Don Quixote
, which I'm afraid I always used to refer to confidently in my essays when I was a student.
What are your top five books of all time?
A terrifying question. I'll go for five favourite books written by women:
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
(1925), by Anita Loos - the hilarious diary of the archetypal gold-digging blonde.
The Secret History
(1992), by Donna Tartt - in many ways the perfect novel, combining as it does crime and the college story.
La Princesse de Cleves
(1678), by Madame de Lafayette - one of the greatest French novels, this is a tale of forbidden passion set at the royal court.
To Love and Be Wise
(1950), by Josephine Tey - an utterly astonishing thriller set in the English countryside.
Cold Comfort Farm
(1932), by Stella Gibbons - a fantastic work of pastiche with a wonderfully bossy heroine and the best-ever scene featuring porridge.
Do you have a favourite time of day to write? A favourite place? What's your writing process: are you a planner?
I am, to the extent that I do write a detailed scenario and cast list before I start. Then I write chronologically with an idea of where I'm going. What's wonderful is when things suddenly start to move of their own accord - characters speak their own lines and make decisions that sometimes take me by surprise. The book becomes a real place where I can go, like Dorothy in
The Wizard of Oz
.
I like to write at my own little desk, which I've had since I was fourteen, with the sound of London traffic in the background. The question of a favourite time of day is really out of my hands. I have a toddler and practically live in my local park, so I write in fits and starts, whenever I get any time to myself. I do a lot of puzzling out in the park, while running after a small person on a scooter.
Other than writing, what other jobs have you undertaken or considered?
I'm now a freelance journalist writing about design and the arts. Originally, I was a university lecturer in English and American literature. After some years I realized it wasn't my calling, there was an abrupt change of gears and I went to work as a fashion PR for a while. That was a lot of fun, particularly the catwalk shows, which are a thrilling experience. Before that I'd flirted with the idea of drama school and then decided against it - too scary. I once did a short stint as a receptionist but couldn't cope with having a phone that kept ringing like mad and making me jump, which I realise is feeble but there you are.
What are you working on at the moment?
It's the story of an English girl who wins a work placement at a restaurant on the French Riviera. While there, she goes to a party and ends up being kissed by a mystery man while blindfolded. She then goes in search of him in a town that is full of possible contenders. It's a little like Cinderella, but with a mouth instead of a slipper.
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