It is the serial adaptation of one of his novels that will open the 62nd edition of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival! During the opening ceremony this Friday evening, the American author Harlan Coben will receive from the hands of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, a diploma of honor for his “exceptional contribution to literature, the arts and entertainment in the world “. The event will be followed by the world premiere screening at the Grimaldi forum of the series Shelterexpected soon on Amazon Prime Video, taken from his novel Discovered. Arrived the day before on the Rock, the master of suspense agreed to return for 20 minutes on his career and reveal some secrets of his stories that keep you up all night.
When you are a seasoned writer like you, a best-selling author, what does such a distinction represent?
It’s an incredible honor and I’m thrilled! To be recognized by a friend of the arts as esteemed as HSH Prince Albert II during an event as prestigious as the Monte-Carlo Television Festival… It’s more than a dream come true.
Between your first novel “Sans un adieu”, published in 1990, and today, how would you describe the evolution of your style?
I hope I have improved! We writers are always the hardest on ourselves. You remember when you were in school and you wrote an assignment that you thought was excellent, rereading it today you would probably find it awful… It works just like that with the first novels!
Why are the past coming to the surface and disappearance recurring themes in your stories?
Because it’s intriguing, right? We have all experienced moments in our lives that have changed everything, tiny moments sometimes, but which have opened doors. We take a path – and our whole life changes. We also think that our past is just that – our past. But sometimes that’s not the case. Sometimes we put it in the back of a closet and one day someone opens that closet, rummages through it and finds our secrets. I also prefer to write about disappearances rather than murder. If someone is murdered, you can solve the crime, but you will never fully recover. But if someone is missing, you have hope. I like to write about hope. Hope can be the most wonderful thing in the world – even if it can also crush your heart like an eggshell.
In an interview, you said that when you write, “the first word is the hardest”. Can you tell us more about this?
It’s like exercise! The hardest part is getting started. If you want to jog, the first step is always the hardest. But once you start, it’s easier and you feel better. It’s the same with writing. The blank page is the scariest thing in the world. When you put a word to it, it becomes a little less scary.
What fun is there in taking on a recurring character from a series of novels like Myron Bolitar, rather than writing standalone novels like Gone Forever? Is the writing process the same?
I compare it to a painting canvas. A stand-alone novel is a blank canvas and it’s exciting. You can do anything and go anywhere. With a series of novels, the canvas is bigger, but part of it is already filled. You like this part, so you’re excited to keep working on it. In terms of process, the two are very similar. That I have to play with Myron Bolitar, David Beck (Do not tell anyone) or Grace Lawson (Just a look), it’s always the same for the way I write.
Several of your novels have been adapted for film and television. When you write a novel, do you think about the possibility of an adaptation from the start?
Never ! If you write a novel thinking it will make a great movie, you are sure to fail. Above all, you should not do this. A book is a book, a series, a series, a film, a film. These are very different media that have different specificities. On the contrary, I like to make many changes when I adapt one of my novels. The worst adaptations, in my opinion, are the ones that become exact reproductions of the books. I make changes when I adapt and I do a lot. For example, the novel Tell Nobody is set in New York. Guillaume Canet and I moved him to Paris for the film. Another example: the novel Une chance de trop had a male main character. We modified it so that Alexandra Lamy can play this role. It made the adaptations different from the books – and it worked.
What do you think makes a good adaptation? Does adapting a novel for the screen necessarily have to betray the source material?
You should keep the heart and spirit of the book, but it’s important to understand that books are different from movies and TV. They must be. One is a visual support, the other is very interior. I want you to have different experiences. If you want the TV series to be the exact same experience as the book, read the book!
Your first novel adapted for the screen was “Don’t tell anyone”, which became a film directed by Guillaume Canet. How does it feel to see the characters you imagined played by actors for the first time? Don’t we feel deprived?
Dispossessed? Never. On the contrary. What an honor! I remember my first day of filming in Paris. I arrive, Guillaume directs, François Cluzet plays Beck. Kristin Scott Thomas, Jean Rochefort, André Dussolier, Nathalie Baye, Marie-Josée Croze, Marina Hands, Gilles Lellouche are all there, along with, I don’t know, maybe a hundred other cast and crew members. I sit and look around and think, “I had this little idea in my bedroom in New Jersey and now all these wonderfully talented people are bringing it to life.” It’s a great feeling. I experience it every time I make an adaptation. I had the chance to work with some of your most talented actors and directors. It is a huge honor.
You love France, and she loves you back! Can you tell us about your relationship with France?
I don’t know ! Why do we love his or her spouse? Because they are beautiful, yes. Smart, of course. That they read a lot, and that’s very good. But you need a spark. I like to think that France and I have that spark. I don’t wonder why, I’m just grateful.
Many series will be presented at the Monte-Carlo Festival. Do you watch series and, if so, do they feed your creativity as a writer?
Of course, I watch television. And everything feeds my creativity – a great novel, a great television series, a great painting, a great song… even the view of the Mediterranean from Monte-Carlo where we find ourselves today. Let it all feed your soul!
When you have written more than thirty novels, read all over the world, what are the challenges that remain to be met?
I want to improve myself and create better stories – for novels, TV, movies and whatever else. I’ve been extraordinarily lucky and I love what I do, so why stop now?
Can you tell us about your next projects?
I’m writing a new novel about Myron and Win. My next two TV series are Shelter, which will arrive on Amazon Prime in August and Fool Me Oncewhich will be available on Netflix within the next six months.