Sometimes my biography is interpreted as the upbringing of a French aristocrat. It was very, very different. We were a family of mercantile, immigrant Jews.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
My name, my origins, my background and my experiences are what leveraged my success. The angle of the immigrant, through which I examined the reality in France, distinguished me.
Both of my parents were first-generation Americans, the children of Jews who left Eastern Europe around the turn of the century.
Oh, I was brought up in the north of France, and I had a very enjoyable childhood with my family working as entrepreneur.
When I wrote about the French Revolution, I didn't choose to write about aristocrats; I chose characters who began their lives in provincial obscurity.
I was born in France. I grew up in Africa.
My primary and secondary education was in French, which had a lasting influence on my life.
At school, I never had a hold on English history, and cheder was a place run by sadistic incompetents, so I felt alienated from the Jewish part of my past.
I grew up in a Mauritian bubble in France... I had the feeling of not belonging, but still living with French culture.
Until he lost all his money, my father was a successful north London Jewish businessman. He was unusual among his immediate family in that he was enormously cultured and had an incredible library.
Historically, I come from Jewish history. I had the classic upbringing in the Yeshiva, learning, learning, and more learning.