Biography

David Rochefort was born in Paris in 1980. As a teenager, he went into exile into the punk world of Berlin, obtained a DEA in philosophy on his return founded a group of "post-rock improvisation" and had a string of odd jobs before finding a position in the faculty of Nanterre, in charge of publication.

Novel of a generation, that of the 90's from the previous century. Three boys from St. James High School in Neuilly are found with their Rimbaudian desire to change the world, at least to bend it to their taste and aspirations. Heavy metal music fans, and marijuana, rebels without a cause and without excessive passion, they drink a lot, while dreaming of Situationist actions and a literary magazine. Alcohol and drugs play the part of making them come out of themselves, to keep them perpetually awake. There is in this first novel a successful way to capture the lost children of a time of crisis, served by easy writing and art made from the form." (Introduction by the editor)

A few days before the start of school, Benjamin Ratel slips - like on a mission how to send a scout to the troubled front - before the St. James High School, a charming prison where he is supposed to prepare his BA during the school year. The building is as ugly as a modern and functional dream that did not age well. Dirty blue paint runs down the facades, mixes with large white spots, there are bars on the windows, as if to prevent students from escaping, or to commit suicide. High gates with spikes separate the school from the street, in the annexe , in the buffer zone, the benevolent administration has installed a parking for motorcycles, where prospective mates from Ratel can park their scooters at ease in winter , their mountain bikes in the spring. In contrast, a large public park is located behind the school. A huge cave in Roman style, beautiful French gardens, a rustic little bridge - where students may experience their first erotic emotions - a magnificent building (an official residence, he assumes) and sport grounds complete the picture a bit surprising for his taste.

"It starts with the gentle tribulations of a young rebellious teenager, rather middle class and vaguely intellectual,the type that eventually falls into line by writing a general novel. But the story does not settle. it even accelerates, rocking beautifully in the dark. Until the icey fall, we are driven on by the drift of this romantic hero, victim of a time when heroes finish badly." (David Caviglioli, Le Nouvel Observateur, February 11, 2010)