Olivier Rolin's 'Bric et Broc' Defends the Writer's Right to Think About Literature

In a new collection titled 'Bric et Broc' (published by Éditions Verdier), French novelist Olivier Rolin gathers occasional texts—lectures, articles, prefaces—from recent years. The book is a self-aware, ironic exercise in which Rolin questions the very act of a writer reflecting publicly on his craft. He notes that contemporary literary life rewards authors who feign total inability to conceptualize their work, yet demands they speak about their books—provided they say as little as possible. Rolin counters this trend by offering serious reflections on literature, arguing that true literary thought resides with writers themselves, not critics or academics. He cites Paul Valéry's 'Variété' as a model and quotes Valéry: 'In the arts, theories have no universal value. They are theories for one.' Rolin describes such theories as 'bricolages' that serve their authors like lanterns illuminating only the bearer's path. The collection includes readings of Homer, Victor Hugo, Blaise Cendrars, and Claude Simon. Rolin discusses the 'metis' of the novel, his rejection of plot, the necessary dissonance between writing and its era, and the gap of style. He portrays the reader as a Janus-faced figure, seeking both surprise and confirmation. The book ultimately aims to inspire what Rolin calls 'non-mean jealousy (an emulation)' for great writers, perpetuating 'the desire to write.'