Book Talk: French bestseller Vargas shuns the hype

By Swaha Pattanaik

PARIS (Reuters Life!) - French detective writer Fred Vargas twinned a career as a professional archaeologist with a penchant for penning novels for about 25 years and insists writing is a sideline even now that she has ditched the day job.

Loyal to the small publishing house which was printing her novels before she became one of the most read authors in France, Vargas is on her guard against being sucked into media hype that has grown since one of her books was recently made into a film.

Q: How did you start writing detective novels?

A: I was about to become a professional archaeologist and while it's a great profession, I was afraid of becoming trapped in it. I scribbled detective novels on the side to amuse myself, as a distraction.

Q: How do you go about writing your thrillers?

A: I think about it for something like a year and normally I need three clear weeks just to get something down on paper. Then I rewrite to get the right rhythm or musicality of phrases. I start knowing where it happens and who the killer is, and not sometimes not much more. The main thing is to know the killer as otherwise you won't be able to put down traps for the reader.

Q: Do you do a lot of research for your books?

A: I don't like to do too much research. I don't like stories where you can practically feel the sweat of the work. I am not interested in describing a particular revolver since it is not going to change the story. The point is to tell a really good story.

Q: The main character of many of your novels, a policeman called Adamsberg, is a bit of a daydreamer and sometimes relies on intuition to make breakthroughs.

A: "Some men find him too feminine. When men write books, they have a tendency to create characters who will project a positive image of men. I invented someone who appealed to me, a woman, so maybe it is normal that he tends to be more attractive to women than men. Sometimes I am not sure how he would react because he is completely different to me. He speaks very little, contemplative, calm, serene, he never worries. So then I say what would I do in this situation and I make him do the opposite."

Q: Do you get attached to your characters?

A: You invest yourself in them and there are secondary characters who I am sorry to leave behind. I can't keep having them pop up because it would be a stupid coincidence. I had to kill one character and I really missed her so I created a character in the police brigade who was based on her and was a continuation of this prototype.

Q: One of your books was made into a film. How did you feel?

A: "Neither hot nor cold because it doesn't solve the problem of my next storyline."

Q: Have you come under more pressure as your book sales have gone up and you have become better known?

A: Yes, but I try to keep myself away from the whole writing circuit. It also depends on the editor. I have one who leaves me in peace and doesn't keep asking me how far I've got. I tell her when I have almost finished, something like 30 pages left to go.

Q: What about publicity?

A: I don't like the idea of having publicity for the books. At the beginning we didn't have the money, but even when we had the money, it didn't seem honest. You can't force people to appreciate a books by publicity. If it sells, it is word of mouth. After I finish a book, I try and pick just a few interviews.

Q: Is there a trend to focus on writers as personalities?

A: Yes, even though it seems sheer nonsense to sell the author with the book. For example, there was a TV station that was insisting they wanted to film three weeks of me writing, the process of giving birth to the book. I said no -- the book might be a product, a subject but I am not. I don't want to take part in this game which is only good for making money.