Virginia Grimaldi: "I poured it from book to book"

The family we were born into and chosen is almost always the inspiration for your novels. How would you explain this?

Virginia Grimaldi: This is what surrounds me. This whole little world that surrounds me inspires me a lot. I was lucky to be born and raised in a clan family. We are very united, we all live in the same circle. I am talking about a subject that always upsets me, and this subject is family ties inexhaustible and sad.

Here you discover the story of two sisters separated by drama and disagreement. Who are Emma and Agatha?

Emma is the one who had to take care of her sister as a child. This made him serious, forward-thinking, perhaps sometimes psycho-rigid. Agathe is the “little one,” a free electron whose emotions are tense.

Which one looks more like you?

I guess I’m a mix of the two. Like Emma, ​​I assumed the role of my younger sister’s guardian very early on because we did not have an easy childhood. I may have a psycho-rigid side, but I’m also a free spirit like Agathe.

Has your sister read your book?

He is in the process… He doesn’t usually read much, but he was very touched by the fact that I wrote this story. It’s obvious that it’s fiction, but the shared memories I drown in, the characteristics of our characters… It’s his return that I’ve been waiting for the most.

There is something deeper in this new novel than ever before. Did you feel it while writing?

No, but I hear this phrase a lot… Maybe because I went from book to book, I’ll dig deeper? I have a huge shell. For me, writing is a very sincere thing, I really add a lot of myself to each of my works. And all this is hard to give, like giving birth: I give birth to emotions, feelings, memories…

You refer at length to the ’90s in your book, what was Virginie Grimaldi like back then?

I wore Doc Martens on my feet; I always wear it! I had a nose ring, all my ears were pierced, I had ripped jeans. I wasn’t very good at my pumps but I always had great friends with whom I laughed. In my private life, I was going through family events that made me hypersensitive. I lacked confidence and was terrified of being an adult. This is what I already found in the poems written at that time.

The concept of girls’ dormitory is very present and important in your life. Also, you don’t hesitate to regularly publish your favorite literary works compiled from your colleagues…

I don’t feel in competition with other writers. On the contrary, I think there are enough readers to help each other.

Despite the sales figures of your books, you still seem to have fraud syndrome. Sometimes you even say that you doubt the relevance of your stories!

Yes, but what comforts me is that people who come to greet me often say to me: “Incredible, you’re talking about my life!“There is something universal in my personal stories.

your novel”It’s time to rekindle the stars“, was chosen as the favorite book of the French last December. How did you experience this award?

What impressed me was that so many people chose my book. I didn’t think I had a chance and I’m having a hard time ranking in general. So I’ve come a long way, but it made my mom and grandma very happy! And then it doesn’t count as Romain Gary isn’t on the list! (Laughs).

You recently participated in the study 125 and thousands (Harpercollins) By Salome. Who’s that ?

A 21-year-old feminist, dancer and life-loving young woman from Cagnes-sur-Mer. Then she fell in love with a boy who stopped her school, her job, and eventually killed her with kicks and punches. He was sentenced to life in prison just last month and is not questioned at all. I discovered Salome’s story through the words of her mother, compiled by the book’s editor, Sarah Barukh. It was very strange meeting him when he was no longer there. It has been bothering me ever since, always with me. It strengthened my feminist commitment. There’s still a lot of Salome. The fight is progressing very slowly. I don’t know what to do, I ask myself the question: if justice were harsher, would this still prevent men from taking action? I don’t know… I think we should change this patriarchal society, women should get equal pay. As long as men have the impression that the woman belongs to them, nothing will move. I am trying to raise my two sons by teaching them that women are equal and should be respected. I tell myself that we all have a role to play in this war.

Interview with Amandine Scherer

* A beautiful life (Flammarion). Available May 3rd.