A Conversation on Literature and the Climate Crisis with Pierre Ducrozet

A Conversation with French writer Pierre Ducrozet, the author of Le Grand Vertige, in discussion with Göran Blix (in English).

This conversation on the climate crisis will take its cue from Pierre Ducrozet’s recent eco-thriller—Le grand vertige (2020)—a global road novel, absurdist adventure story, speculative fiction about the paths and pitfalls on the road to change, generational portrait, and dizzying tableau of a burning planet betrayed by its short-sighted leaders. In this novel, we follow a colorful cast of youthful characters (by turns comic, heroic, absurd, and inspiring), who set out on a global odyssey to look for solutions and identify new ways to inhabit our bodies and planet to avert the coming crisis. Are they on the right track? Do their actions help trigger any meaningful change? How far is it legitimate to go? And how should writing itself best try to address this dilemma? With Pierre, we will discuss how modern literature, especially Le grand vertige, looks for new ways to confront the climate crisis and incites readers to reflect. We will also have occasion to ask Pierre about his collaboration with director Cyril Dion (Demain; Animal) on the forthcoming film version of the novel.