L’Origine: The secret life of the world’s most erotic masterpiece was the FIRST PLACE winner in the Fiction category of the 2021 IndieReader Discovery Awards, where undiscovered talent meets people with the power to make a difference.
Following find an interview with author Lilianne Milgrom.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
L’Origine: The secret life of the world’s most erotic masterpiece; July 28, 2020, Little French Girl Press
What’s the book’s first line?
It stopped me dead in my tracks.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”
In 1866, maverick French artist Gustave Courbet painted one of the most iconic images in the history of art: a sexually explicit portrait of a woman’s exposed genitals. Audaciously titled “L’Origine du monde” (“The Origin of the World”), the scandalous painting was kept hidden for a century and a half. Today, it hangs in the world-renowned Orsay Museum in Paris, viewed by millions of visitors a year.
L’Origine is a work of fiction that traces the true story of the painting’s remarkable clandestine journey and the colorful cast of characters whose paths it crossed. It is an unlikely tale of survival, replete with French revolutionaries, Turkish pashas and nefarious Nazi captains. The result is an entertaining and superbly researched story that is more than a riveting romp through history—it’s an examination of society’s complex relationship with the female body.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
As the first artist authorized by the Orsay Museum to recreate Courbet’s “The Origin of the World” I was thrust into the painting’s intimate orbit, spending six weeks replicating every fold, crevice, and pubic hair. The experience inspired me to write about my own unique journey and to recount the painting’s fascinating history for readers beyond the confines of the art world.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
In essence, the real protagonist of the book is the infamous painting itself. Its extraordinary odyssey across centuries and continents is rich in history, suspense and mystery. Gustave Courbet, who painted L’Origine in 1866, was a larger-than-life character, a renegade and a radical outsider whose vision for a new approach to painting influenced every aspect of his life. He was one of the first Bad Boys of art history – and a dead ringer for Johnny Depp!!
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
The main reason to pick up this book would be the same motivation that drove me to write it, namely to expose oneself to the fascinating story behind one of the world’s most iconic and controversial works of art. It’s a book for readers who enjoy being entertained and enlightened at the same time.
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
Ha! I inadvertently answered this one in a previous question. No doubt about it. Johnny Depp!
When did you first decide to become an author?
I don’t believe that ‘becoming an author’ is a conscious decision. Aside from my professional art practice, I have always loved to manipulate words and found my niche writing articles about art for major publications. I never aspired to become an author until I crossed paths with L’Origine du monde in Paris and fell under its spell.
Is this the first you’ve written?
This is my debut novel.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I am a full-time professional artist, working in painting, ceramics and installation.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
During the decade it took to research and write my novel L’Origine, my entire being was focused on the project. I was driven to tell the story and I wrote whenever I could – mostly late at night. A lot of the writing happened in my head as well, when I was on walks or drifting off to sleep.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The best part of being an indie author is definitely the independence and ability to control the finished product. The hardest part is the immense undertaking to promote and get the word out. It’s as time consuming and exhausting as writing the novel!
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
Yes, I would go with a traditional publisher so that L’Origine could get the greatest exposure and reach readers that my limited capabilities cannot tap into. I would love to see what the resources of a traditional publisher could do for the book, although I have been pleasantly surprised by how well the book is doing.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
Truthfully, I was not motivated by fame and fortune when I wrote the book. What drove me was the burning desire to tell the tale. Once the book hit the stands I began to focus on a return of my investment and concentrated on self-promotion as a means of introducing readers to the book. I’m not sure you’d call it ‘fame’ but I certainly have the rounds on podcasts!!
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
I don’t know if it is the fact that I was born in Paris that draws me to foreign authors and books about foreign lands. There are so many authors I admire but in fiction I love Amor Towles and in non-fiction I enjoy reading Alain de Botton.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
Too many to name…There are so many authors whose descriptions or turns of phrase or observations of life I wish I had written.