The writer Erwan Larher discusses his memoir, The Book I Didn’t Want to Write (Locarno Press, 2018), a book that reflects on the 2015 shooting at the Bataclan Theater in Paris, where he was amongst those shot, with Joseph Planta.

The Book I Didn’t Want to Write by Erwan Larher (Locarno Press, 2018). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Book I Didn’t Want to Write

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, at TheCommentary.ca.

A few weeks ago, I talked to the French author Erwan Larher. On 13 November 2015, he was at the Bataclan Theater in Paris, France, that night when gunmen stormed the historic concert hall and carried out a mass shooting. 130 deaths were attributed to shootings and suicide bombings at six different locations across Paris that night. 90 of those killed were inside the Bataclan, taking in the Eagles of Death Metal concert. In his new book, Mr. Larher talks about the experience in a memoir that bends the genre. You have his account up to, during and after the attack, as well as the voices of his loved ones. It’s a moving book, and takes the reader through this gruesome night, as well as the days in the wake of it, as Mr. Larher recovers from his injuries, for he too was shot. Erwan Larher was in the music business for fifteen years after attending Sciences Po University. He became a writer, and has published three novels, working on the fourth as he recovered from the shooting three years ago. The title of this memoir is The Book I Didn’t Want to Write. It was a critical and popular hit in France, when it was published in August of last year. This new book is published by Locarno Books. He joined me from Toronto in late October. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Erwan Larher; Mr. Larher, good morning.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (18.6MB)

Subscribe: RSS