Julien Santoni has all of the qualities of an excellent pupil, even though he does not like to be reminded that he was probably his teachers' favourite. When taunted he retaliates, laughing: "My teachers saw in me a future translator of Plato!" But Julien Santoni was looking for himself. He did a literature course (kahgne), got into Science-Po, dropped out, and then received the agrégation (high level competitive exam to be a teacher) in French Language and Literature. He then left for Berlin to study history of art, returned to France, successfully completed a post-graduate course, for a while delved into psychology, spent some time at the Hôpital Sainte-Anne, hesitated for quite some time and finally considered himself to be "not on the right side of psychological normality", then accepted a position at the university of Bordeaux, resigned two years later and now teaches at a secondary school. He is quite content. "For a very long time I saw myself living in New York or Greece. Now I realise that we don't really need to be elsewhere. It was a teenage whim." Julien is settling down. The dust is also settling.
As for literature, the same applies. It took Julien a long time to find his way in this area as well. At school, he was only interested in poets and German expressionism. Like a lot of people, he wrote a few very beautiful poems. He did not feel a longing to write novels: "I didn't have anything to say!"
This young man, born in 1979 and brought up on Greek and Latin literature, discovered contemporary literature late in life, at the age of around 18, first through Margueritte Duras and then through Nouveau roman authors such as Robbe-Grillet, Butor… The discovery of writing helped fill a void. It was during his Berlin years, in July 2005. Something had to be done; a decision needed to be taken. Julien drew, painted and wrote. Writing took precedence. It was a revelation. He discovered a voice - a violent energy - which had been lying dormant. A year later he was wandering up and down the streets of Saint-Germain-des-Prés with his manuscript under one arm. It was hopeless: he knew nobody and was unaware of how the business worked. And then the publishing house, Grasset, called him: the manuscript had been accepted. Since then Julien has been surprised by what has happened thanks to the book although his feet remain firmly on the ground: "It is a difficult book to read. The language is meant to act as a barrier." He is now working on his second novel. It is often said to be the most difficult to write.