Laurent Mauvignier Discusses International Booker Prize Nomination and His Writing Process

Mauvignier shared that the inspiration for his book, The Birthday Party, initially stemmed from a script he intended to direct for a medium-length film. The project, which was intended to explore home invasion narrative conventions, shifted focus as the film was unlikely to be produced. He then sought to adapt the story into a novel format, aiming to capture the complexity of time and character psychology that he felt literature could convey better than film. Influences on his writing include the works of Stephen King, Marcel Proust, Ian McEwan, Javier Marías, Cormac McCarthy, and Joyce Carol Oates, as well as the stylistic contributions of Antonio Lobo Antunes and László Krasznahorkai.

The process of writing The Birthday Party was unique for Mauvignier, as he converted an existing screenplay into a novel. He imposed a structure on himself, limiting each chapter to ten pages, which sometimes facilitated rapid writing or, at other times, resulted in slower progress. After completing an initial draft that exceeded 1,000 pages, he undertook a rigorous editing phase, cutting over 400 pages by refining each scene and eliminating unnecessary content while maintaining all original scenes.

Mauvignier described his writing routine, often working ten hours a day over several months during the rewriting phase. His time spent writing was particularly poignant; he was caring for his son, who had leukemia, and looked forward to the evenings when he could escape into the world of his characters. He noted that he has written at the same desk since childhood, needing a wall in front of him to minimize distractions from beautiful views and relying on earplugs to focus on the rhythm and phrasing of his sentences.