Online Casino, casinos

Casinoweb is pleased to offer you, exclusively, the interview conducted with the rising star of French literature: Thierry Cohen. Make sure you remember this name because this writer has already made a sound reputation for himself with his first book “J’aurais Préféré Vivre”, originally published by Plon and newly published a few weeks ago by Pocket, by whom it has just been reprinted for the third time!  

Casinoweb succeeded in obtaining an exclusive interview with Thierry Cohen which took place on the Champs-Elysées on the terrace of a café in the month of June 2008. He will tell us more about his book, his working methods and what he thinks about casinos.

Casinoweb: Hello Thierry, thank you for accepting our request. Could you tell us about your book?

Thierry Cohen:  It’s a love story. But an unusual love story because it begins with… a suicide. Jeremy commits suicide on his twentieth birthday because Victoria has rejected him. But he wakes up next to her, in love with him. A year has gone by. A year about which he has no memory whatsoever. Is this hell ? Is this heaven? Or simply real life in the course which he is suffering from selective amnesia? The plot unfolds around these questions.

Casinoweb: Why a subject like this?

Thierry Cohen:
Because I wanted to face up to profound existential questions. Those of awareness of life’s value, of the love of those close to us, of the importance of building a satisfying route through life. After all, what will remain of our presence on earth? We will leave memories to our loved ones, an image, values, the means and the strength to take life on in the best conditions. Damn, I’m getting serious all of a sudden! But even though my novel has a dramatic thread, it is positive none the less!

Casinoweb: I’ve read that you used to manage your own communications and advertising agency, Acapella, (Thierry and his younger brother Bruno created this agency in 1990 (ed.)) and that you wrote your book in the evenings. How were you able to manage this double activity?

Thierry Cohen: That side of things amazes many people. But you simply have to remember that writing is my passion. Everybody finds the time to indulge in a passion. So, I worked at night, when everybody was in bed. Later, when publishing was on the cards, the question became more difficult, because I also needed to work during the day. And there, I was backed up by my brother Bruno. We went through that adventure together. He gave me a lot of support.

Casinoweb: Your wife wasn’t aware of what was going on either? Why and how did you succeed in hiding your work?

Thierry Cohen:  In fact nobody knew what was happening. I have always written, but in secret. I felt rather reluctant to talk about it. I thought it was presumptious to “play the writer”. And when I undertook writing this novel, I wanted to prove to myself that I was capable of going the distance. So, what’s the point of talking about it, bragging, if one isn’t sure of carrying the project through to the end? In addition, I was having a kind of love affair with this idea of a novel. I lived with my characters, thought about them all day long. I used to wait impatiently to get back home and bring them back to life. My wife wondered what on earth I was doing in my office. She probably thought that I was secretly gaming on Casinoweb (laughter)!

Casinoweb: Which authors made you want to take up writing?

Thierry Cohen :  Albert Cohen, Norman Mailer, Romain Gary, Primo Levi, Elie Wiesel, John Fante, Philip Roth, Jack Kerouac. For these authors, and others, I have real admiration.
Among more “recent” authors: Michael Cunningham, Jonathan Safran Foer, David Foenkinos, Anna Gavalda, Marc Levy, Tatiana de Rosnay...
There are many others, most of them discovered by chance or thanks to publishers with a passion for literature.

Casinoweb: You are ranked number one in the paperback best sellers on Amazon.fr. How do you feel about overtaking writers of high standing such as Marc Levy or Anna Gavalda?

Thierry Cohen : Oh, don’t let’s get overexcited! These are only internet rankings because in bookshops, I am not always available and the results are not as sensational.
In any case, rubbing shoulders with Marc Levy, Anna Gavalda or Tatiana de Rosnay must be a good thing mustn’t it? They’re the right sort of people to be associated with (laughter)! Joking apart, they are three authors that I admire as much for their work as for their career path and the human values that they stand for.

Casinoweb: Will your book eventually be adapted for film or television?

Thierry Cohen:  Alright, here’s a scoop. A talented director is studying my novel and… I won’t say any more. So it’s half a scoop.

Casinoweb: Are you preparing a second book?

Thierry Cohen:  My second novel is finished. But its not going to be published by Plon. I am finishing writing a third. Can you give us a date? It’s difficult. In the course of 2009, I hope. I am not really in a hurry. I like to take my time and polish my writing. But it’s true that readers write to me now and seem to be in more of a hurry than I am. So I will have to hurry up.

Casinoweb: Do you think that one day your writing will take the place of your principal activity, that is to say, your communications and advertising agency?

Thierry Cohen: Why not? But I never intend to completely give up the agency. It is an important part of my life.

Casinoweb: Let’s speak about casinos. Are you a casino enthusiast?

Thierry Cohen:  My first experience of casinos was in a professional capacity. I worked on an advertising campaign for a casino belonging to a large group. I therefore studied this world carefully, spent hours in gaming rooms to soak up the atmosphere. At first without playing, to keep a sufficient sense of perspective, then playing to get a taste of the player’s experience. And, after this, we created a very good campaign. We decided to focus the advertising on the area of pleasure and responsibility.
Because that’s a sensitive point. Players are often presented as being irresponsible. But in these cases the spotlight is fixed on those who, indeed, no longer control their relationship with gambling. Now, alongside those people, there are always players who are just after an enjoyable time, either for themselves or in a group.
In fact, the time when I play is during an evening with friends. We set ourselves a maximum amount and never go over it. And gambling is only a pretext for spending time together, having a joke, egging each other on.
 
Casinoweb: Online casinos are going to be legalised in 2009 and a French licence will be granted to some operators. What do you think about this decision?

Thierry Cohen: I think it’s good. Why maintain a monoply situation for games of chance from which only the Française des Jeux [French national lottery and sports betting government business enterprise] and the PMU [horse racing betting company]  benefit? If we accept gambling as a leisure activity, as entertainment, then let’s not be hypocritical and let’s let other parties enter into the market. As long as they are serious operators, who offer all of the required guarantees.

Casinoweb: What do you think of www.casinoweb.org?

Thierry Cohen: It’s an impressive site. It is very well designed visually (and it’s the professional who’s speaking now!). It’s a pleasure to play there. It offers a responsible relation to its customers. It is careful about certain players’ addiction problems, which is very worthy on its part. But, apart from that, it goes beyond the simple gaming framework by offering information and services to its customers. In fact, conducting an interview with an author and offering his novels to one’s best customers… it shows maturity doesn’t it? It means considering that its customers don’t spend all their time gambling, but are also pursuing rewarding leisure activities!

Casinoweb: The interview is coming to an end. Do you have a scoop to announce on Casinoweb.org?

Thierry Cohen: Well, apart from the half-scoop about the film adaptation… perhaps I could tell you that my wife is expecting a fourth child! But then, I’m not sure that that will interest your visitors (laughter)!

Casinoweb: Congratulations Thierry and thank you for having granted this interview. The Casinoweb team wishes you all the best for the next part of your career.

Thierry Cohen: Thank you.

© Casinoweb