Bertrand Ploquin
AF 17 pour New York
Synopsis
A long-haul flight is a slice of life with a before, a during and an after. Why is your neighbor sitting there? What led her there? What does she hope for when she arrives? Seven destinies intersect. Seven short stories, seven passengers, seven seat numbers. Transported in a machine, the plane, that despite more than a hundred years of experience, human beings continue to find astonishing, destabilizing, even worrying, each of the seven characters experiences this journey in their own way, inspired, without calculation. However, they necessarily have some converging concerns, starting with a common adventure: flying at eight hundred kilometers per hour a few meters from each other.
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Back cover
If this book were a cocktail, it would be an emulsion of drama, a dash of cynicism, a zest of phantasmagoria, Woody Allen-style paintings, all shaken with a lot of energy against a backdrop of New York jazz. The voice of the short story writer makes us take off alongside 8 hand-picked passengers, for better or for worse.
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The author
Bertrand is a good-taste deadpan. Coming from the world of communication, he fell into literature (or was he raised there?) naturally, building atmospheres inspired by his empathetic experiences wherever he lived them, in France or elsewhere, in planes, trains, bars, literary cafés, meeting rooms or cinemas. Because the man is passionate about cinema, encyclopedist tendency, curious and sponge at the same time, which allows him to draw on occasion from a reservoir of almost infinite situations and quotes. After a few self-published attempts that taught him a lot, he ended up collaborating with Scenent Editions, which, recognizing in him a real maturity as an author, accompanied him on a path that led to the publication of AF 17 for New York.
The vein of the book
In this section we discuss books that share the same subject, the same theme, although they treat it differently. Two other contemporary authors - at least - have the same starting point, the causes and consequences of a transatlantic flight, and have made a novel out of it.
- L'anomalie, by Hervé le Tellier (Gallimard).
- Dans un avion pour Caracas, by Charles Dantzig (Grasset).
The first intertwines destinies, borders on the fantastic and weaves a breathtaking plot.
The second, jubilant, reconstructs the story of a friendship brick by brick, thanks to a step back at an altitude of 10,000 meters.
Why Entre deux rendez-vous ?
The "Entre deux rendez-vous" collection, designed for people who are short on time and to help people discover or rediscover the joys of letters in short bursts, very naturally accommodates the format of a series of short stories. Each piece can be read in one go, while a few metro stations pass by, a countryside smiles through a train window, or the sun sets behind the curtains of a room. AF 17 for New York can also be read, unheard of, on a plane!
Atmosphère
In the plane's bar, airy cocktails are concocted by a seasoned mixologist and consumed in moderation by inspired passengers. Koffi, bartender at the chic bistro Saperlipopette a stone's throw from Paris la Défense, near the docks (Puteaux, Hauts-de-Seine), dedicates the book with his "Frisson de la Barbade". If its recipe is secret, we know from a reliable source that it contains at least rum, lemon, ginger and pepper (to be consumed with moderation). And a lot of love.
For pilots or drivers who must remain sober, we recommend a strawberry emulsion, a mixture of mixed fruits and air bubbles, both sweet and airy. It seems that this is the favorite drink of the passenger sitting in seat 23L. Well, sitting... it seems that she has itchy feet.
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Agenda - Press
- September 28, 2021 : AF 17 for New York selected by the SGDL in the race for the first collection of short stories prize! ! ! ! ! A magnificent recognition for the author and his publishing house.
- December 2, 2021 : photo shoot.
- December 12, 2021 : Bertrand Ploquin, on the piano, will accompany Christine Collard at the Club des Poètes.
- January 2022 : rolling short story competition on the theme “AF 17 for New York.
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Readers' notes
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They said about AF 17 pour New York
Pas simple de créer 8 univers autour de ces 8 personnages : chapeau bas l’auteur ! Ce qu’évoque AF 17 pour New York : le concert des Sex Pistols du 4 juin 1976 au Lesser Free Trade hall à Manchester, qui donna leur vocation à de nombreux groupes (Buzzcocks, the Fall, Joy Division, etc).
Un rocker.
J’adore cette histoire de numéro de siège que je n’avais pas comprise tout de suite. Chaque siège est meilleur que le précédent. Et je finis une nouvelle le cœur lourd à chaque fois car je n’ai pas envie de quitter le personnage. J’ai pleuré de rire avec l’histoire du passager et de son doudou et voilà que je m’attache déjà à Caroline, le personnage du siège 20 L.
A passionate lady.
J'ai été emportée et ai atterri à la fin secouée par cette lecture, notamment la nouvelle mettant en scène une maman ayant perdu sa famille. Est-ce parce que je suis maman moi-même ? Qui sait ? Toujours est-il que ce recueil vaut le détour, en avion, en bateau, à cheval, dans le métro, en ville ou à la campagne.
Anne-Laure, intellectual property lawyer and literature enthusiast.
Published books
L'hypothèse du quai de Conti, by Philippe Sisbane
Les nénuphars blancs du Delta, by Didier Waldung
À la recherche d'Amalia D., by Bertrand Ploquin
Lame poète, by Claude Savornin
Lisez-moi !, by Magali Brieussel
Beautés !, by Claire Pelissier-Folcolini
AF 17 pour New York, by Bertrand Ploquin
AimSee, by Scenart
Logistikos, by Scenart
Parolier de voyage, by Nathalie Legendre
Le Mondialitron Actes I à III, by Asianichi
L'Ange de Prévert à tombeau ouvert, by Christine Collard