The author of "Crash" has chosen Cannes and Sophia as place of its 26th novel. Jet set of Cannes and white-collar workers of Sophia Antipolis on a crazy capitalism background for an amazing philosophic thriller.
Will the French Riviera and Sophia be the scene of the J.G. Ballard's future great mythical thriller ? We can think so, with the publication, in French, of "Super-Cannes" (Editions Fayard, translation of Philippe Delamarre), the 26th novel of the British writer. Since J.G. Ballard has a rich background. He is the author of "L'empire du soleil", covered by Spielberg, as well as "La Forêt de cristal" or "Fièvre guerrière" or even the cult novel of the 70's, "Crash" screened by David Cronenberg.
"Crash" has made J.G. Ballard take up with the Riviera again, since he discovered the region in 1947, just after the war. The writer came back in Cannes in 1996 with the presentation of Cronenberg's film in the official competition of the festival. He found a brand new Riviera between stars and technologies, palm trees and high tech centers. "Super Cannes" deals with these two poles. Sophia, called Eden-Olympia, the wisdom city, and the Riviera with rich Russians and Arabs, private planes, dream swimming-pools, Land Rover with bullet-proof windows, luxury prostitutes, are part of the scene of the post-modern philosophic thriller. In the background, globalization, amorality of a new world elite, multinational companies, high tech world, unrestrained capitalism and all this "invisible structure" instead of "traditional civic virtues".
In this "big brother" setting, a paediatrician, Dr Greenwood, plans to slaughter ten top-executives. Paul and Jane Sinclair investigate in the universe of white-collar workers and run between wisdom hills and sequined Riviera. The original version of this corrosive "Super-Cannes" met a large success in Great-Britain last year. All the more as British people, as everybody knows, is particularly attached to the French Riviera. Terrified by the description, the BBC even came and investigated to check whether Sophia and Sophia were as frightening as it was described in the book.
Will the story be so appreciated in France ? To be continued. Let's just say that it is a real pleasure when such a great author, as famous as Graham Greene, gives us a mirror. Even, and maybe especially, when the mirror is deforming and disturbing…