- Why this book, and why now?

For several reasons, the first uses my militant, political voice, it is my rebuttal of the various authorities and sources claiming that French literature is basically dead, that it is significantly less interesting now than it was before. The second is a preemptive defense, celebrating the many new, intense, compelling, intelligent and clever works of literature that have emerged during the past twenty years. There has been a re-evaluation of aesthetic issues in the field and we need to be aware of the changes. The process began in the early 80's and we are now in a position to assess the scope of the changes, as opposed to when we experienced events without being aware of their importance.

- Why did you write this particular book?

First of all for those who read literature, for those who appreciate quality writing, those who feel somewhat overwhelmed by the profusion of books being published. It may help them to distinguish between those who write literature and those who produce slightly less essential texts. Of course this book is also for professionals, for librarians, teachers, students, the media - to give them a little food for thought, in the hope of opening the floor to a serious discussion of literature. The kind of changes that are under way are few and far between in the history of literature, and we need to be aware of them and to talk about them.

- How would you describe contemporary French literature to our Anglo - American readers?

French literature has re-entered the real world after decades of trending toward formalism: it is again literature which speaks for and of Man, of history, of the real world, of social connection. There is a new taste for the passionate, the romanesque, which at one time was neglected, even scorned. Literature is again focusing on the big questions, going up against other forms of thought, other art forms, without losing sight of its structural requirements. Its principal characteristic would be its need to define and target objectives while continuing to question the way in which they are used. For me some new forms of literature have emerged, what I call "biographical fiction," the "relational memoir," even what they call "critical fiction," a genre midway between what the Anglo-Saxons call "fiction" and "non-fiction. " We are in the midst of a complete revamping of ideas and forms, disconcerting, vivid, fresh.

- Do you think the French are good story tellers, and do you think that their stories can be adapted for film?

The French are indeed good story tellers when they can avoid being fooled by the semblance, the pretence of fiction. Contemporary literature revisits history, choosing moments from its most traumatic, intense periods, an example being "Un Long Dimanche de Fiançailles" ("A Very Long Engagement") by Sébastien Japrisot, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. There is also an interest in the real world, how it appears to us, a random item from the police blotter. I should also mention the effective stories of Emmanuel Carrere, "La Classe de Neige" ("Class Trip") and "L'Adversaire" ("The Adversary"), which has something in common with "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote - both of which were adapted for film.

There are so many workable stories, from "Vies minuscules" by Pierre Michon to Marie N'Diaye's "Rosie Carpe". The books of Echenoz and of Tanguy Viel play into our cinematographic memories. In fact, some readers are so conditioned by film that they believe certain films are based on specific books, like Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation", which some thought was based on "Faire l'amour" by Jean-Philippe Toussaint. We are certainly not lacking for great stories, but lately they have been brought to us in forms slightly outside the lines of traditional literature.

- Which five novels do you think should be mandatory reading today?

It is hard for me to select only five novels without neglecting the others. But let's start with the Antoine Volodine's novel "Dondog". And I also like Jean Echenoz' writing, but it's not easy to pick one book over another, even though "Cherokee" is a hilarious book, very accomplished, or one of the more recent ones like "Un an" ("One Year") or "Je m'en vais" ("I'm gone"). "Les vies minuscules" (recently translated as "Lives Under Glass") by Pierre Michon - of whom I was just speaking - is written with a remarkable quality as well as a powerful formalist inventiveness. There are also novels focusing more on real things, which brings me to "Daewoo" by François Bon, which came out last year. Or "Tigre en papier" ("Paper tiger") by Olivier Rolin, which adroitly questions the militants of the 70s and the historical, cultural and personal foundations for their actions.

- Do you think that in this new generation of writers there is a new Sartre, Camus, de Beauvoir or Duras?

If the idea is to find writers choosing the same subjects, mindsets or ways of working, the answer would be NO. That period is over. If we are speaking of writers whose work is as essential as that of the above-mentioned writers, the answer would be a resounding YES. I mentioned François Bon, Antoine Volodine and Pierre Michon. One might add the names of Marie N'Diaye and Annie Ernaux. And the demanding, remarkable Pascal Quignard, a man of great culture whose writing is both stimulating and astounding, constantly disconcerting the reader, according to Michel Deguy.

- How do you stay current on what is going on in France from the United States?

I use the tried-and-true method of subscribing to the important French literary magazines and having them mailed to me here: Le Matricule des Anges, La Quinzaine Littéraire, the Magazine Littéraire, and I look at the supplements to the big newspapers and magazines which have websites, like Le Monde, Télérama, Libération. We can listen to France Culture on the net. And there are some excellent literary websites such as François Bon's site, www.remue.net which is very up to date on what is being published and also www.inventaire-invention.com. For poetry one can go to Jean-Michel Maulpoix' English site, www.maulpoix.net/US/indexa.html. In the United States there is also a major publication called Sites: Contemporary French and Francophone Studies, www.sites.uconn.edu, which is published by Roger Célestin and Eliane DalMolin and which is more easily found in the United States than other professional French publications.