So many people in France have helped generously with this book, some of them in ways they may not realize. Over the years that I’ve spent living and working in France, my understanding of the country has improved immeasurably thanks to numerous conversations, both in Paris and during my travels around the country and on the campaign trail, as well as through countless French essays, articles, books and debates.
I would like in particular to thank all those who agreed to talk to me for this book, or to arrange such conversations, including some who did so anonymously. Others are cited and, with a few exceptions, are referenced on first mention in a given chapter. I owe special thanks for their insights and time to Benoît d’Angelin, Clément Beaune, Laurent Bigorgne, Philippe Crouzet, Christian Dargnat, Renaud Dartevelle, Jacques Delpla, Ismaël Emelien, Sylvain Fort, Eric Fottorino, Etienne Gernelle, Sylvie Goulard, Benjamin Griveaux, François Heisbourg, Jean-Pierre Jouyet, Gilles Kepel, Gaspard Koenig, Mathieu Laine, Pascal Lamy, Antoine Marguet, Alain Minc, Emmanuel Miquel, Amélie de Montchalain, Jean Pisani-Ferry, Bernard Spitz, Adrien Taquet, Shahin Vallée, Hubert Védrine and François Villeroy de Galhau. In addition to those quoted in the text, I am grateful also to the many people who offered their thoughts while I was researching The Economist’s 2017 special report on France, on which this book draws. They include: Nicolas Baverez, Yves Bertoncini, Laurence Boone, Henri de Castries, Elie Cohen, Nicolas Colin, Christophe Gomes, Zaki Laïdi, Marie-Vorgan Le Barzic, Gilles Le Gendre, Philippe Manière, Jean-Louis Missika, Dominique Moïsi, Dominique Reynié and Ludovic Subran.
I am particularly indebted to Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor of The Economist, for her warm backing for this book project, as well as for permission to use material from my reporting for the paper. Thanks also go to my London colleagues Edward Carr, Emma Duncan, Robert Guest and Chris Lockwood, who have been a regular source of support and ideas, and in particular to John Peet, who made helpful suggestions on various chapters. In the Paris office, I am especially grateful to my fellow foreign correspondent Adam Roberts. He generously read through an entire first draft, and offered many candid and invaluable comments. I would also like to thank Emily Upton in Paris and Andrea Burgess in London for their tireless and meticulous fact-checking, and for giving up evenings and weekends in order to do so.
Thanks are also due to Sudhir Hazareesingh, whose deep knowledge of French thought helped refine the chapter on Macronism, as well as to other France-watchers with whom I’ve shared many stimulating discussions about the country. They include Hermione Gough, Charles Grant, Angus Lapsley and Gideon Rachman, along with fellow correspondents in Paris who have supplied help and advice, in particular Véronique Auger, Marie-Laetitia Bonavita, Francis Brochet, Angelique Chrisafis, Yves Clarisse, Daniel Desesquelle, Hervé Favre, Béatrice Hadjaje, Eric Le Boucher, Stéphane Leneuf, John Lichfield, Laurent Marchand, Lara Marlowe, Alberto Toscano, Marie-Christine Vallet and Michaela Wiegel.
This book would not have happened without Veronique Baxter, my enthusiastic and energetic agent, or Jamie Birkett, my editor at Bloomsbury. He first came to me with the idea of a book on France, kept faith in the project even as it evolved along with the election campaign, and made many helpful suggestions on the draft manuscript. Richard Mason brought his careful and elegant approach to the copyedit, as well as his knowledge of France. Thanks are also due to the rest of the Bloomsbury team, including Kealey Rigden, Hannah Paget and Sutchinda Thompson.
Above all, I would like to thank my family, for their patience and support throughout the researching and writing of this book. My sister, Emily Pedder, supplied advice, encouragement and her professional editing skills, which helped to fine-tune early chapters. Chloé Dedryver diligently transcribed hours of interviews in French. Luc Dedryver was on hand for regular technical (and stylistic) advice. Most of all, Bertrand Dedryver read through every chapter in detail and imposed order on the first draft with tolerance, precision, good humour and a wisely critical and constructive eye. I could not have done this without his backing. Finally, I would like to thank my late mother, Sue Pedder, who followed the twists of the French election campaign from London N1 with unflagging enthusiasm right up until the last days of her life, but did not live to see the final result.