A short Q&A with Tatiana de Rosnay about her writing including suggestions of books similar to her bestselling novel, Sarah's Key.
What do you enjoy doing in you spare time that inspires you while you're working?
I've been a bookworm since I could read. And I also spend a lot of time surfing the internet. I write a blog. I also enjoy traveling, art, music and movies.
Where have you lived in your life?
From Paris, I moved to Boston when I was 8, my father taught at MIT. We spent 3 years there, and then moved back to Paris. I went to college in England when I was 19 (University of East Anglia), majored in English Literature. I have lived in Paris since 1984.
Who are your favorite authors?
I admire Daphne du Maurier, Virginia Woolf, Henry James, Irène Nemirovsky, Emile Zola, Guy de Maupassant, Oscar Wilde, Charles Baudelaire. And Paul Auster, Joanna Trollope, Anita Shreeve, Penelope Lively, A.S Byatt, JM Coetzee, Maggie O'Farrell, Tracy Chevalier.
Tell us anything about you as a working writer that you think might be interesting or unusual.
Being half French, half English makes me "unusual," I guess, and the fact that I grew up learning two languages, that I lived both in France, England and America, as well. I never know which language I dream in. But I always knew I wanted to write Sarah's Key in English.
What are some examples of books that you compare or identify with Sarah's Key?
The Pursuit of Happiness, by Douglas Kennedy
Charlotte Gray, by Sebastian Faulks
Reservation Road, by John Burnham Schwartz
My Dream of You, by Nuala O'Faolain
Sophie's Choice, by William Styron
Suite Française, by Irène Némirovsky
After You'd Gone, by Maggie O'Farrell
Resistance, by Anita Shreeve
Unless otherwise stated, this interview was conducted at the time the book was first published, and is reproduced with permission of the publisher. This interview may not be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the copyright holder.
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