General

France buys scandalous Sarkozy tales

It might be satire, but much of it is probably true. The French have put a salacious tale about politics on top of a bestseller list for seven weeks now, and Nicolas Sarkozy stars as a pelvis-thrusting character called “Rocky.”

Marie-Celie Guillaume, a former chief of staff for a Minister in Sarkozy’s now defunct government, has published Le Monarque, Son Fils, Son Fief (“The Monarch, His son, His fief”). It has been called a “fable.” Earlier this summer Guillaume was fired from her job for publishing the work, which naturally resulted in greater publicity and sales, the Guardian reports.

Rocky, aka Sarkozy, is portrayed in a rather unflattering light. At one point he demands attention from a female politician. He tells her: “Look at the state I’m in, you can’t leave me like this … ”

Sarkozy’s son Jean has called the book  a “vile and sordid tissue of lies.” The author calls the book (interview here) a portrayal of politics in its most “crude and brutal form.”

 

 

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
FILED UNDER: