Often unloved, dictation makes a comeback in all its forms

Why did you choose to write a novel on the theme of dictation?

Everyone has memories of dictations. This is what is interesting in this exercise that crosses generations. In my book, she connects a child to her parents, who at the same time reconnect with relatives, friends and even a member of the French Academy!

And you, what relationship do you maintain, as a child, with this exercise?

I kept in my house countless copies constellated from the red felt features of my school mistresses. Besides, I dedicate my book to them, because my catastrophic spelling has long desperate them!

How did you react?

I was deeply unhappy, especially since I liked the activity itself. The texts read often talked about the countryside. I saw an opportunity to escape the heavy atmosphere of the classroom. Therefore, I felt like an injustice to have bad grades each time. Then I became a great reader. The spelling of words has registered unconsciously in my brain, and I started to progress (laughter))! Finally, learning to write, trauma of my childhood, has become my job.

How do you look today on dictation?

If we think about it, it’s a fairly paradoxical exercise. In some ways, she can be seen as a game of power: a single person, standing, reads a text in front of a sitting assembly, leaning on his leaf with a pen. However, as soon as there is no longer any stake of note or judgment, the dictation appears as a fun activity, quite simple in itself: it is enough to write a short story and to share it orally. Is it so serious to make mistakes? Isn’t the important thing to meet together around a common language?