One of the most popular contemporary authors is Frederick Begbeder. Ideal is a novel published in 2007. This book is not as popular as, for example, 99 Francs and Love Live Three Years, but it contains no less than sarcasm, cynical and peculiar humor - characteristic features inherent in the works of the scandalous writer. This article will discuss Begbeder’s Ideal novel. This book is interesting to Russian readers primarily because it was written under the influence of the French prose writer in Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod.
Those who still do not know who the author of the novel Ideal is, Frederick Begbeder, should say a few words about the fashion writer, director, and former employee of a major advertising agency.
about the author
Begbeder began to write the book “Ideal” when he reached the forty-year mark. The writer was born in 1965, in a small town near Paris. His mother was engaged in literary translations. Father is the creator of the first French private power grid.
Begbeder graduated from the Institute for Political Studies, and then received a degree in advertising and marketing. Thanks to this area, he became famous. In the 90s, a highly paid copywriter wrote several stories that did not arouse much interest among readers. Then, deciding to put an end to his career in the advertising business, Begbeder wrote a book exposing. In the novel "99 francs," he did not spare himself or his colleagues at Young and Rubicam. The copywriter, of course, was fired, but the novel, which is a satire on the advertising business, brought considerable fees to its author. The hero of the book - Octave - later appeared on the pages of the work "Ideal".
Begbeder and Russia
In his books there are no sentimental exclamations either to his native Paris or to cold Moscow. Some readers do not perceive Begbeder's work precisely because of the cynical phrases present in abundance on the pages of his novels. Nevertheless, the writer respects Russian culture with due respect, which cannot be overlooked by reading the novel Ideal.
Begbeder in Moscow has been more than once. Not so long ago, in 2016, he again visited the Russian capital. During his last stay in Moscow, the best-selling author of the early 2000s answered questions from journalists. In particular, he explained where and how he gained a reputation as a snob and a communist (which in Europe and the USA is almost a synonym for the word “criminal”), talked about how the film was created from the book “Ideal” (Begbeder invited oligarch Alexei Guskov), said that he is a big fan of Ivan Turgenev.
"Ideal"
In the novel, the author unvarnished presented the glamorous, near-oligarchic world of Russia of the 21st century. Octave Parango arrives in Moscow in order to find a new face for advertising “high-quality” cosmetic products. The hero of the book is looking for a new Kate Moss or another Claudia Schiffer. At the same time, he is immersed in the realities of Russian reality, which are somewhat different from his previous ideas about the life of compatriots Turgenev and Chekhov.
The narrative, as in other Begbeder books, is from the first person. Octave talks about what he encounters on duty in Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod. And what does he see in Russian cities?
It turns out that connoisseurs of Chekhov's prose are not found here more often than in Paris. Each representative of the fair sex (starting from 13 years old) dreams only of money and vibrant life. Around debauchery and venality (which, however, are components of the natural habitat for the Octave). In conclusion, while in a state of frustration, the hero of the book becomes a terrorist.
Begbeder's "ideal": reviews
The novel is filled with authorial aphorisms, deep and witty. But Begbeder's books are not popular with everyone. And Russian-speaking readers often provoke a rather negative reaction. Reviews of the novel "Ideal" negative and positive, perhaps, are available in equal proportions. Someone like Begbeder’s style and narrative, its capacious and sarcasm-rich judgments. But for some, the French writer’s statements about Russia are nothing but slander and slander.
Begbeder's hero claims that for the Russians for a quarter century, carnal pleasures were the only entertainment. At the same time makes an amendment: in addition to vodka and squealing. He calls Russia the country of conscious amnesia and unpunished crimes. Many more original judgments can be found in The Ideal. To make your own opinion about their veracity, it is worth reading Begbeder's novel.