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Régis Jauffret's 'Asile de fous' Explores Rupture and Madness

publication · 2026-04-23

Régis Jauffret's novel 'Asile de fous', published by Éditions Gallimard, delves into the mind of a woman named Gisèle after a breakup. The narrative shifts between real and invented characters, using future tense with present interludes. Jauffret describes the book as a story of abandonment from the perspective of the left party, exploring suffering and happiness. He contrasts Gisèle's authentic suffering with other characters' casualness, and discusses the role of media in shaping dreams and nightmares. The author positions himself as anti-naturalist and anti-realist, viewing literature as dealing with ordinary humanity.

Key facts

  • Régis Jauffret's novel 'Asile de fous' is published by Éditions Gallimard.
  • The protagonist Gisèle experiences a breakup and navigates through real and invented characters.
  • The narrative uses future tense with present interludes, a shift from Jauffret's previous conditional style.
  • Jauffret describes the book as focusing on the abandoned person's perspective.
  • The author contrasts Gisèle's authentic suffering with other characters' casualness.
  • Jauffret discusses media's role in presenting equal proportions of dreams (ads, TV series) and nightmares (news, reality).
  • He positions himself as anti-naturalist and anti-realist.
  • Jauffret believes literature deals with ordinary humanity, not heroes.

Entities

Artists

  • Régis Jauffret

Institutions

  • Éditions Gallimard

Sources