Don't get him started on the rich history of the French navy during the Directoire period and the advent of Napoleon. Fabien Clauw is inexhaustible on the subject. To his credit, he bathes day and night (more like nights, in fact) in this historical context to embroider over the adventures of Gilles Belmonte, a frigate captain for the French navy.
Fabien Clauw based his novel adventures about this daring captain on real historical facts. For almost 4 years, he has been scouring libraries and archives of the French Navy for details on uniforms and life on the ships of the time. " I even receive family archives, first-hand accounts from sailors' descendants. It's amusing to note that today's admirals almost all have a forebear in the navy. Reading these writings allows me to soak up turns of phrase and dated vocabulary. What's more, I discover a sectional drawing of a frigate, or even details on clothing and uniforms ".
You can really feel it when you read the latest (4th) volume in the adventures of Gilles Belmonte "Capitaine de Bonaparte". The historical details are much more precise. As a result, Gilles Belmonte's totally romanticized story seems to be inscribed in the dark and inglorious pages of French history. Fabien Clauw never hesitates to cast doubt in the reader's mind when territorial interests merge with financial interests (trade, slavery...).
Precise navigation is another of the story's strengths. Fabien Claw, a former regatta racer (he has several Figaros to his credit), doesn't hesitate to use modern solutions to navigate his frigate. " For crossings, I use navigation software such as Adrena. I enter the speed polars of the Hermione frigate, which I increase by 15%, taking into account that the Egalité, Gilles Belmonte's frigate, was built 20 years later and therefore benefited from the advances of the time. Then I run a routing with current weather data. This allows me to experience the sailing day by day and describe it in my story. I also have a panel of readers, mainly ex-Royal sailors, who are very fussy about technical data such as positions, for example. "
The descriptions of places, such as the Caribbean islands in this 4th volume, are also very precise: " For the most part, these are places I've sailed before. So I can easily describe them. Only the Indian Ocean is still unknown to me, and I had to do a lot of research for volume 3 "says Fabien Clauw.
As for the galaxy of characters gravitating around Gilles Belmonte, these are portraits of the author's friends. Each with his or her own details and character. Fabien Clauw will not reveal the mystery of her identity, except for the buxom Camille...
Haven't started Gilles Belmonte's adventures yet? Then throw yourself into Volume 1, and this courageous sailor won't let you go. These books have all the makings of a good novel: adventure, love and friendship.
Capitaine de Bonaparte - The adventures of Gilles Belmonte Volume 4 - Fabien Clauw
- Edtions Paulsen
- 400 pages
- 14 x 22 cm
- 22,00 ?
