Donna Tartt dévoilée

Cette interview de Donna Tartt est vraiment excellente. Un extrait (pas vraiment représentatif):

There is an extraordinary moment in our meeting, when perhaps I see the Donna Tartt beyond the myth, beyond the construct, a little unadorned. It happens when I ask, as you do of New Yorkers, what it’s been like living in the city since September 11. « I was actually finishing up my book in Virginia [where she has a snake-infested house] when it happened, » says Tartt. « I came back up a week after; it was a week to the day, and it was one of the scariest drives of my life. The roads were absolutely empty and it felt like the world had ended. There were big American flags hanging off bridges and when you’d stop at one of the rest-side stops, cops would come up to you and they’d talk to you and ask you, ‘Where are you going?’ They’d be like, be careful, God bless you. There was nobody travelling whatsoever. And you just had no idea what you were heading into. And even though you tried to reassure yourself that you knew what to expect, it was the most horrible moment of my life. Really. I thought I was looking out at New Jersey. I didn’t recognise it as New York. The towers were just how you recognised the city, they were the city, you could see them from miles afar. There was just this kind of smoking – you thought you were looking at some kind of factory in New Jersey and you were just like – what has happened to Manhattan? It was just awful, awful, awful. » At this point, I notice that the tip of Tartt’s nose is turning pink, a clear contrast to her porcelain skin, and I think she’s going to sneeze. I suddenly realise she’s about to cry. The whites of her eyes redden and clear tears drip delicately down her cheeks. « I’m so sorry, it was terrible, terrible, » she says. « I’m so embarrassed. » She reaches into her big leather bag (half the size she is, and packed with stuff – fancy patterned sunglasses case, little containers) and pulls out a compact with which she powders her nose. « I’m so embarrassed, » she repeats, and I believe her.

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