“All these films watched, all these photos, all these albums, all these books, not to go to New York one day, but a little strangely not to go, to preserve the secret of an essential city that could not bear to be so much violated by reality. »
It is said of Philippe Delerm, the inventor of the literary snapshot, that he always writes the same book, which is a somewhat easy shortcut used by tired media.
Because, if, of course, his style that characterizes him so much is present from one book to another, the execution differs more or less noticeably with each literary project.
In this regard, his new book “New York without New York” by éditions du Seuil stands out from the rest of his bibliography, even if he obviously continues his style of literary snapshot. He offers us a imaginary journey to describe a city where he has never set foot but which he describes with appetite through images, music, cinema, his readings.
Loving New York and never wanting to go: Delerm has made this idea a lifelong passion, shining like a glass bead jealously guarded at the bottom of his pocket.
To tell it without even having crossed its streets. To love her forever without even having met her.
In his book, he reviews in turn these photographs of the skyline and skyscrapers that tame the sky; the memory of friends returning from a trip with addresses of restaurants where he will never dine; a Greenwich Village street seen on a Dylan record cover; the Washington Square Park where a novel is set. So many tiny dreams for a capital city. So why go there? One would risk “finding in New York less than New York”.
Philippe Delerm “New York without New York”, éditions du Seuil, in bookstores on February 4th.
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