It came out last November “The Constancy of the Predator” with Albin Michel, the fourth book in his Ludivine Vancker series. The very prolific author of detective and fantasy novels Maxime Chattam was the guest of Thomas Sotto and Julia Vignali, this Monday, January 30, 2023. And he explained how he came to keep his distance from his art, to lead a normal family life, with television host Faustine Bollaert.
To home, he is not “the novelist who writes creepy stuff”
About his famous wife, who is herself in her work very exposed to stirring stories (she animates “It starts today”since 2017, on France 2) he explains : “I think sometimes she wonders.” And to add:but the upside is she’s on the front line, so she knows why I’m doing it basically“Because, as Maxime Chattam also confided to Léa Salamé on January 21, if he writes so many novels, it’s because he needs them and he has things to say.
However, his works are not for all audiences… And on the set of Telematin, Thomas Sotto therefore asked him this Monday morning if his wife let him tell their children (Abbie, born in 2013 and Peter, born in 2015) his terrifying stories, when going to sleep. To this question, Maxime Chattam had fun before answering: “I think she has absolute confidence in it, at home I’m more the man she knows, not the novelist who writes creepy stuff”.
To be the father of their two children, he admits, however, that he needs a moment after work. And describe: “I just sometimes need time to adapt between when I have just written a horrible chapter“and the moment when he finds his little ones, he says. Maxime Chattam works from his home, in a boldly decorated office (including images of skulls and stuffed animals on the show “What an era!”).
“Listen, I just killed people”
So when it’s time to reunite with his family, he explains: “I come down from my office and there the children jump into my arms saying to me ‘dad, we had a good day, how are you?'”. And he responds, with humor: “Listen, I just killed people“. Atmosphere !
“Dad, how are you? – I just killed some people my darling, but it’s ok!” A normal conversation in the family of @ChattamMaxime@Telematin every day from 6:30 a.m. on @France2tvpic.twitter.com/UwwS70wSJs
— france.tv studio (@francetvstudio) January 31, 2023
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