Romain Sardou (born 6 January 1974) is a French

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

born in

Boulogne-Billancourt Boulogne-Billancourt (; often colloquially called simply Boulogne, until 1924 Boulogne-sur-Seine, ) is a wealthy and prestigious Communes of France, commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris ...

Hauts-de-Seine Hauts-de-Seine (; ) is a department in the Île-de-France region of France. It covers Paris's western inner suburbs. It is bordered by Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne to the east, Val-d'Oise to the north, Yvelines to the west and ...

. He is the son of the singer and songwriter

Michel Sardou Michel Charles Sardou (; born 26 January 1947) is a French singer and occasional actor. He is known not only for his love songs ("La maladie d'amour", "Je vais t'aimer"), but also for songs dealing with various social and political issues, su ...

Biography

Romain Sardou was born of a long line of artists, singers, actors, writers, he developed a passion at an early young age for opera - he was just ten years old when he discovered his fascination for

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

. This precocious love led him to the discovery of the

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

, then

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

. His infatuation for reading quickly gained precedence over his love of music. He grew up among the works and lives of great authors whom he cherished. This passion is almost all-encompassing and was to stay with him for life. He left high school in the year before graduation with the firm intention of becoming a

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

. He enrolled in theater classes - which he followed for three years - in order to better understand the mechanics involved in the art of stage craft and more clearly discern the acting profession. In parallel he engaged in numerous "writing exercises", all aimed at the theater. Unsatisfied, he settled in the country for four years during which he built up his book collection and read voraciously the works of historians. He then left the country to work for two years in Los Angeles, where he wrote scripts for children. He eventually came back to France where he got married and wrote a successful first novel. Romain Sardou is the father of three children (Aliénor, Gabriel & Victor-Scott). He wrote the tale entitled ''One Second Before Christmas'' for them.

Bibliography

:* ''Pardonnez nos offenses'' ( Forgive us our Sins) (2002 XO éditions) :* ''L'Eclat de Dieu'' (The Spark of God) (2004 XO éditions) (2005 Pocket) :* ''Une Seconde avant Noël'' (One second before Christmas) (2005 XO éditions) :* ''Personne n'y échappera'' (No One will get out) (2006 XO éditions) :* ''Sauver Noël'' (Save Christmas) (2006 XO éditions) :* ''Délivrez-nous du Mal'' (Deliver us From Evil) (2008 XO éditions) :* ''L'Arche de Noël & other tales'' (The Christmas Ark) (2008 XO éditions) :* ''Lots of Love, Scott & Scottie, letters 1936-1940 by

Francis Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940), widely known simply as Scott Fitzgerald, was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and exces ...

& daughter Scottie (

Frances Scott Fitzgerald Frances Scott Fitzgerald (October 26, 1921 – June 18, 1986) was an American writer and journalist and the only child of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald. She matriculated from Vassar College and worked for ''The Washin ...

)'', Bernard Pascuito Editions, 2008 (Translation in French) :* ''Quitte Rome ou meurs'', (XO éditions, 2009) :* ''America'' #Book 1 : ''La Treizième Colonie'', (The Thirteenth Colony -

Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States. It borders Tennessee and North Carolina to the north, South Carolina and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Florida to the south, and Alabama to the west. Of the List of states a ...

) (XO éditions, 2010) #Book 2 : ''La Main Rouge'' (The Red Hand) (XO éditions, 2012) :* ''Fräulein France'', (XO éditions, 2014) :* ''Mademoiselle France'', (Pocket, 2015) :* ''Maxence'' (Comics) #Book 1 : ''La Sédition Nika'' (

Nika riots The Nika riots (), Nika revolt or Nika sedition took place against Byzantine emperor Justinian I in Constantinople over the course of a week in 532 AD. They are often regarded as the most violent riots in the city's history, with nearly half of ...

)

Le Lombard Le Lombard (), known as Les Éditions du Lombard () until 1989, is a Belgian comic book publisher established in 1946 when '' Tintin'' magazine was launched. Le Lombard became part of Média-Participations since 1986, alongside publishers Darg ...

, 2014, Romain Sardou & Carlos Rafael Duarte #Book 1 : ''La Sédition Nika'' (

) New Edition

, 2016, Romain Sardou & Carlos Rafael Duarte #Book 2 : ''L'Augusta''

, 2016, Romain Sardou & Carlos Rafael Duarte #Book 3 : ''Le Cygne noir''

, Announced 2017, Romain Sardou & Carlos Rafael Duarte :* ''Ben'' (Kids) #Book 1 : ''Ben - Super-Héros dans le noir'', written with Francesca Sardou, illustrated by Lili La Baleine, Hachette Jeunesse, 2016 #Book 2 : ''Ben - Super-Héros de la politesse'', written with Francesca Sardou, illustrated by Lili La Baleine, Hachette Jeunesse, 2016 #Book 3 : ''Ben - Super-Héros sans tototte'', written with Francesca Sardou, illustrated by Lili La Baleine, Hachette Jeunesse, 2016 #Book 4 : ''Ben - Super-Héros au grand coeur'', written with Francesca Sardou, illustrated by Lili La Baleine, Hachette Jeunesse, 2016 :* ''Un Homme averti ne vaut rien'' (Forewarned is not forearmed) (september 2016 XO éditions)

Forgive us our Sins

It was an unusually cold winter in 1284. The "chill winds of the Devil" isolate the small

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

of Draguan, in the

county of Toulouse The County of Toulouse (, , ) was a territory in present-day southern France consisting of the city of Toulouse and its environs, ruled by the Count of Toulouse from the late 9th century until the late 13th century. After Pippin the Short conq ...

from the rest of the world. Before the sight of the statue of the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

broken by the cold, Romée de Haquin, its bishop, is not far from thinking that a curse is wreaking havoc on his parishes. Everything started when two young girls found the remains of tortured bodies in the river. The savage murder of Haquin leaves the village prey to irrational fears. It is at this point that a mysterious priest, Henno Gui, makes his entrance. Accompanied by a young boy and by a hideously ugly man, he had been summoned by Haquin to take charge of the thirteenth parish of the

, Heurteloup. After three days of walking in a forest which is as dark as it is inextricable, the group reaches the entrance of a deserted village. The church is in ruins and many houses are abandoned. Surrounded by foul-smelling marshlands and suspected of carrying the plague, the parish has lived in oblivion for decades. Nobody knows what had happened to its inhabitants. The cursed parish, the thirteenth of the bishopric, is so isolated that its name is often omitted from the maps of the provostship, but it does however interest the highest echelons in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. The

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

is full of rumours, and agitations in the most secret inner circles of the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

have had repercussions as far afield as the kingdom of France. Maybe the key to these mysteries can be found in the troubled life of Romée de Haquin, or with Henno Gui, the priest with the strange methods, or found at the very heart of the thirteenth parish?

Historical Characters in the Novel

Pope Martin IV Pope Martin IV (; born Simon de Brion; 1210/1220 – 28 March 1285), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 February 1281 until his death in 1285. He was the last French pope to hold his court in Rome before ...

The Spark of God

''Deep beneath

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, from the beginning of time, lies an object that could change the world: the Spark of God.'' At least that is what nine

knights A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

, willing to risk their lives in the attempt to recover it, believe. And when, in 1099, the long-awaited news of the liberation of

comes at last, the knights promise their aid and protection to the thousands of pilgrims who set off for the

Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...

. They set about organising a vast pilgrimage, which will enable them to conceal their true aim. But just before they set off, one of them is murdered. Whether by accident or by design, he leaves a packet of letters about the secret buried deep in the

- a secret known to King Solomon – for his nephew Cosimo to find. Soon the young man discovers that his uncle had organised everything as if in the knowledge that he would never return from the

. Why? Cosimo determines to find out. Unbeknownst to everyone, he insinuates himself into one of the groups of pilgrims. What will they be searching for in

? And now, imagine that the story of this novel is situated either in the past or in the future. But is it really the past and the future? And if it is, then why does everything happen in the same way?

Historical Characters in the Novel

Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, Cistercians, O.Cist. (; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, Mysticism, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templar, and a major leader in the reform of the Benedictines through the nascent Cistercia ...

Hugues de Payens , commonly known in French as or ( – 24 May 1136), was the co-founder and first Grand Master of the Knights Templar. Origin and early life The Latin text of William of Tyre's ''History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea'', dated , calls him , ...

Baldwin II of Jerusalem Baldwin II, also known as Baldwin of Bourcq (; – 21August 1131), was Count of Edessa from 1100 to 1118, and King of Jerusalem from 1118 until his death. He accompanied Godfrey of Bouillon and Baldwin of Boulogne to the Holy Land during the ...

Robert de Craon Robert de Craon or Robert Burgundio (died 13 January 1149) was the second Grand Master of the Knights Templar from June 1136 until his death. He was instrumental in getting papal sanction for the Templar Order, making it independent from ecclesi ...

Godfrey de Saint-Omer Godfrey of Saint-Omer (also known as Gaufred, Godefroi, or Geoffrey de St Omer, Saint Omer) was a Flemish knight and one of the founding members of the Knights Templar in 1119. He is said to have come from the family of the Lords of Saint-Omer (i ...

* Andre de Montbard

Historical Places in the Novel

Troyes Troyes () is a Communes of France, commune and the capital of the Departments of France, department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within ...

Clairvaux Abbey Clairvaux Abbey (, ''l’abbaye de Clairvaux''; ) was a Cistercian monastery in Ville-sous-la-Ferté, from Bar-sur-Aube. The abbey was founded in 1115 by Bernard of Clairvaux. As a primary abbey, it was one of the most significant monasteri ...

County of Champagne The County of Champagne (; ) was a medieval territory and feudal principality in the Kingdom of France. It developed on the rich plains between Paris and the border of the Holy Roman Empire in the 12th century. It became an economic hub of north ...

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

One Second before Christmas

"How does

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

deliver all his packages at once?.... Where is his factory?... Who makes the gifts?... How does it all really work?" These questions about the wonderment and mechanics of Christmas are the farthest thing possible from the thoughts of young Harold on the 16th of October, 1851. Harold is an orphan and street urchin in the sad, gray industrial never-town of Cokecuttle, in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, England – and he does not suspect the exceptional adventure awaiting him.... Indeed, Harold is about to be called to duty as the new

, delivering presents and happiness to his fellow children around the world. He's given the familiar red suit and a big white beard, too. And he's set to task. But... how does

deliver all those packages in one night? What about the

elves An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda''. In medieval Germanic-speakin ...

and

reindeer The reindeer or caribou (''Rangifer tarandus'') is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, taiga, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only re ...

? Our little Harold will have to find a very quick answer to those questions after all.

Places in this Christmas Tale

Equuleus Equuleus is a faint constellation located just north of the celestial equator. Its name is Latin for "little horse", a foal. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern const ...

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

References

XO EditionsSusana Lea AssociatesRandom House

External links

Romain Sardou’s Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sardou, Romain 1974 births Living people Writers from Boulogne-Billancourt French historical novelists French science fiction writers 21st-century French novelists French male novelists 21st-century French male writers

Biography

Bibliography

Forgive us our Sins

Historical Characters in the Novel

The Spark of God

Historical Characters in the Novel

Historical Places in the Novel

See also

One Second before Christmas

Places in this Christmas Tale

See also

References

External links