Denis MARILLIER
A building engineer by trade, with a strong interest in architecture, and an undiminished curiosity for urban transformations, Denis Marillier was born in Paris in 1966. An early childhood in the Parisian suburbs, a youth in the suburbs of Lyon, and an early career in Languedoc, before returning to settle in the Paris region, with strong ties to Champagne, have made him both a Parisian and a Provincial. It's possible, just as one can be both a cyclist and a driver, a teacher and a student, and simultaneously admire the Beatles and the Stones… An omnivorous mammal, passionate about song and music, married and the happy father of three, his profession has led him to countless construction sites, to explore urban development zones, housing projects in need of rehabilitation, and buildings requiring repair… He came to literature later in life, little by little, as an antidote to the highly formulaic writing of his professional life. Insects Palace Hotel is his first novel.
In charge of a project all the more ludicrous for its resolutely contemporary nature, Klim, a young architect-urban planner with a promising future, finds himself caught up in a series of bizarre tribulations: a mysterious messenger by the roadside, animal rights activists on the verge of cult-like behavior, and a suspicious accident all contribute to the gradual disintegration of his familiar world. Much against his will, Klim becomes a privileged witness to the successive renunciations of his era—of reason, of humanity, and of steak tartare. Together, with his friend Tommy and his love Lana, they will brave beetles and leaf blowers, and hit the road south, disregarding their carbon footprint, but for a good cause: saving their skins… Through adventures more hilarious than disheartening, the author playfully subverts current trends, with a touch of mischief but no ill intent: how can one not smile at the triumph of greenwashing, with its contrition competitions and its parade of petty critics? A story that is as much a nature documentary in peri-urban areas as it is a road trip through the France of roundabouts, reality TV, and the expansion of the Quechua tent market. Publication date: March 1, 2024. Order now
