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Write: Bertuğ Yasavullar Photos: Cengiz Karliova

Maxime Chattam’s Paris

Maxime Chattam’s Paris

WE TALKED WITH FRENCH THRILLER WRITER MAXIME CHATTAM ABOUT PARIS AS PORTRAYED IN HIS BOOK ‘PRÉDATEURS’.

When did you come to know Paris?
When I was a child. I lived in a suburb of Paris, and every Wednesday I went into the city to see a movie. Seeing those beautiful streets and a big city full of people every week was a wonderful experience. Paris taught me that the world is a vast place.

How have you been influenced by Paris in your books?
Actually, what influences most of my books is the old Paris. The two thrillers I’ve written are set in the Paris of the 1900’s. It took me three years to get a grasp of the Paris of that time and represent it realistically in those stories. I examined 7,000 documents and hundreds of maps and pictures. It’s like the story of a French Jack the Ripper!

What are three things everyone who goes to Paris absolutely must do?
1. Take a walk near the Louvres on a summer night.
2. Visit the catacombs, where there are millions of skeletons all over the place.
3. Enjoy a panoramic view of Paris from the terrace of a beautiful cafe.

How about fall in Paris?
Like everywhere else in the world, it’s spellbinding because metropolises are a reminder of what we harbor inside us.

1. The skyscrapers in the district of La Défense carve out a modern skyline amidst the city’s classical architecture.

2 .You can take in a variety of performances on Georges Pompidou Square.

3. Montmartre, where Sacré-Coeur Basilica is located, is known as ‘The Balcony of Paris’.