Today we talk about Champagne and Vodka, a book by Danièle Gourdon published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author Danièle Gourdon to get to know him better, where he found the inspiration to write his book Champagne and Vodka, as well as how he describes his writing styles.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- Where did you find the inspiration to write this book?
At first, my inspiration was motivated by the question: Why did my ancestor, Pierre Achille Chevalier, leave Paris for Saint Petersburg in 1801. Trying to find his motivation, I went deep into the history of the end of the XVIII century and the beginning of the XIX. By doing so, I became strongly aware of the tragedies of the French Revolution and consequently the motivation for young men to leave France. All this was associated with the fascination of the Russians for the French culture, its luxurious products and its language. The French language had been taken as an example by the Russians since Peter the Great for its purity, its eloquence and its rules which gave the possibility to deal with arts and science. These last elements were certainly the key for French people to leave for Russia: they could live there speaking French, and they were appreciated and respected by the Russians. Another element for the inspiration of this book was that it was so interesting to discover the atmosphere in Saint Petersburg at that time where the educated class spoke fluently French, read French newspapers and were interested in the French culture books and theatre.
- What are the crucial themes of your work?
The French Revolution first, which motivated young men to leave France and to look for a better future. A second theme is the way people travelled in those days, by mail coach or by Stage coach. They were confronted with the length of the journeys, the endless days, the risks and the dangers. They had a great curiosity in discovering the countries and the towns they crossed. They were involved with social interferences during the journey and there was a mutual interest among the passengers. A third theme is the atmosphere in Saint Petersburg in 1801. After the French revolution which was totally rejected by the Tsar Paul I, his son Alexander I welcomed the politics of Bonaparte and the mutual attraction between France and Russia came back. This definitely accelerated trade between the two countries. The sea journey is also a fascinating theme while travelling for days on a sail boat from Saint Petersburg to Le Havre.
- What would you like to hear from your readers about this work?
From the readers, I would like them to assess carefully the research involved in this adventure novel, for example in appreciating the details of the descriptions, such as the landscapes and the towns they cross, because the latter, especially, have changed so much. I would also like them to appreciate the social interferences, so different from today. Also crucial is to realise the aim of the research meant to place the story at the right place and the right time. I would equally appreciate the interest of the readers concerning the atmosphere of Saint Petersburg in 1801, still very much connected to the time of the Tsar Peter the Great and the tsarinas Elizabeth and Catherine II _The latter died in 1796, a few years before Pierre Achille arrived in Saint Petersburg _. And not to forget the French philosophers of Enlightenment like Voltaire who travelled to Russia, and maintained constant relations with the tsarina Catherine II. And the French sculptor Falconet whose workshop was the place where the famous equestrian statue of Peter the Great was created and inaugurated in 1782 in Saint Petersburg. It is therefore interesting to realise that this period of the Enlightenment had an indelible influence, still in 1801.
- How do you describe your Writing style?
My writing style is easy and elegant. I am at ease writing in French, my mother’s language, and nearly so at ease with the English language! Having a master in literature, I have learned to be precise with my grammar and my words. It is a pleasure for me to write well. It is a bit like musicians who enjoy playing music. In my case, my imagination runs free while wanting to be exact and faithful to a proper language or to history in case of an historical novel. To my surprise in this book, I realised I had to be careful with the choice of some words which are employed to day and did not exist in 1801. Examples: “jogging” was invented in 1974, instead I had to use “running”. Another word “sporty” invented in 1862, I had to use “Someone who practices sport or like sport”. As a whole, when I write a book, the most important threat is imagination, because without imagination, a story does not exist. Then comes style with great discipline regarding grammar, word choice and punctuation.
- Are you planning to write more books? Can you tell us something about it?
I like writing. The consequence of this is that I have started another novel based on the castle of my grand-mother. The interesting element of this book is that, there again, I discover so many events which I ignored until today. For example: the fact that the region of the West of France where the castle is located, was an important strategic place for the German army in the last war, and that the castle positioned on top of a hill was requisitioned during this war. Another attractive element could be the atmosphere in the castle at that time: with a butler, an ironer, gardeners, a cook, servants and a winemaker attached exclusively to the property. This novel would be inspired by true events and most significantly, it would represent a world of the past. I have already written two books: one in 2017 “Le papillon d’Alep”, a roman based on true events and one in 2020 “Bibo” an ecological guide for Erasmus students.
Europe Books thanks the author Danièle Gourdon once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside him on the editorial path that led to the publication of his book Champagne and Vodka. We wish him the best of luck for his book and for his future works.
To you, my dear reader, that this novel will captivate you and capture you in every detail here told; at the same time, it will be a source of reflection to apply in your everyday life in order to make it better and worth living.
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your Editor!