Le Cours de l'histoire – Episode Summary

Podcast: Le Cours de l'histoire
Host: France Culture
Episode: Fou d'histoire : Emmanuel Suarez, scénariste : "L'histoire nous libère de la tyrannie de l'actualité"
Date: March 7, 2025
Guest: Emmanuel Soares (scénariste, auteur, passionné d'histoire)

Overview of the Episode

This episode dives into the intersections of fiction, history, and uchronia (alternate histories) through the works of Emmanuel Soares, creator of the character Corentin Tréguier. We’re invited to reflect on how fiction can revisit, challenge, and illuminate history, and how storytelling in radio and comics enables us to approach the past with fresh perspectives. Soares discusses his creative process, his academic background, and the broader political and personal stakes in engaging with history through narrative, particularly in contrast with contemporary events and the "tyranny of current affairs."

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Corentin Tréguier: A Character Out of Time

• Character Genesis

  • Corentin Tréguier is a young Breton naval officer born in the 1850s but deeply out of sync with his era. (01:55–02:38)
  • Passionate about botany and nature, awkward with weapons, and suffering from seasickness, he witnesses the late 19th century as a naive, almost extraterrestrial observer.

  "Ça pourrait être quelqu'un du XVIIIe siècle, un naturaliste, quelqu'un qui passe sa vie dans les champs, etc. à observer la nature telle qu'il la voit." – Emmanuel Soares (02:21)

• Narrative Structure

  • Corentin’s adventures unfold in the Congo and the UK during pivotal historical moments, allowing the audience to rediscover history through his confusion and innocence.

2. Uchronia and the Art of Rewriting History

• Deliberate Use of Uchronia

  • Soares explains how uchronia entered his stories later, especially as a way to imagine radically different outcomes to the principles underlying real historical events—colonialism and capitalism. (05:06–07:30)

  "L'Uchronie, elle commence là où mes histoires se terminent… faire entendre des gens qui remettent en question les principes, notamment là dans Corentin… C'est pourquoi successifs, qui sont vraiment la matrice du personnage principal." – Emmanuel Soares (06:52)

  • Unlike works like The Man in the High Castle, his stories begin in documented history and twist only at the resolution, inviting the question: what if someone had acted differently against the foundational injustices of their era?

• Role of Chance and Prejudice

  • Much of what triggers revolutions or key events in his fiction is accidental or due to misunderstandings—challenging the deterministic view of history. (08:45)

  "Corentin Treguet et ses acolytes font les choses souvent par hasard, en tout cas, lui, par hasard, par accident." – Emmanuel Soares (08:49)

3. Humour, Prejudice, and Subtlety in Representation

• Mocking the Powerful

  • The series uses humor to expose the prejudices of the powerful, while also showing that even well-meaning or marginalized characters can possess their own biases. (11:30–15:28)

  "Moi, en effet, c'est les préjugés qui m'amusent, parce que finalement… la plupart des gens ne le sont pas ou ne pensent pas l'être, mais ont quand même des préjugés." – Emmanuel Soares (11:30)

• Complex Characters

  • Corentin and supporting characters are not caricatures. Even those with positive traits carry the cultural biases of their time.

  "C'est important pour moi de se dire, personne n'est à l'abri de ce genre de préjugés." – Emmanuel Soares (14:23)

4. Creative Process: From Radio to Comic

• The Mediums

  • The stories exist both as podcast/radio fiction (fiction radiophonique) and comics (BD). Each medium shapes how the story and its world are imagined—sound design in radio, visuals in comics. (39:00–40:10)

  "Il y a quelque chose de commun entre la fiction radiophonique et la bande dessinée, c'est la possibilité de faire apparaître un monde." – Emmanuel Soares (39:00)

• Character Design

  • The collaborative nature of character creation: the radio version’s vocal performance shaped the comic’s visuals.

  "Le dessinateur, en entendant la voix de Quentin Dolmer, a imaginé un Corentin… qui était celui que j'avais dans la tête." – Emmanuel Soares (42:11)

5. Political Stakes and Personal History

• History as Political

  • Fiction and history are inherently political. By focusing on ordinary people, Soares offers a counter-narrative to history’s usual focus on the powerful. (45:31)

  "Le rapport à l'histoire, à mon sens, nous libère de la tyrannie de l'actualité." – Emmanuel Soares (45:31)

  "Le président de la République… est un personnage secondaire dans la vie de chacun d'entre nous." – Emmanuel Soares (45:49)

• Family and Historical Memory

  • Soares' background—descended from Spanish Civil War refugees, raised in a politically active working-class environment—frames his sensitivity to forgotten histories and the need to confront historical taboos.
    • His experiences with migration, trauma, and the silences of family history inform his commitment to historical inquiry and empathy.

• "La Division" and Difficult Histories

  • His work “La Division” explores the French Waffen-SS, emphasizing the dangers of leaving historical darkness unexamined, and the need to confront collaboration and fascism directly. (51:13–55:18)

  "Faire la lumière sur les choses, c'est quand même vraiment ce dont on a besoin." – Emmanuel Soares (53:28)

  "Le fait de ne pas avoir exploré réellement de façon claire et partagé l'histoire de la collaboration française, ça n'est pas une bonne idée." – Emmanuel Soares (51:24)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Power of Fiction to Rethink History:

  "L'histoire, à mon sens, nous libère de la tyrannie de l'actualité." – Emmanuel Soares (45:31)

• Regarding Corentin Tréguier’s Difference:

  "C’est un jeune homme qui est complètement inadapté à son époque." – Emmanuel Soares (01:55)

• On Prejudices, Past and Present:

  "La plupart des gens ne le sont pas ou ne pensent pas l'être, mais ont quand même des préjugés." – Emmanuel Soares (11:32)

• On the Need to Confront Difficult Pasts:

  "Les zones d'ombre de l'histoire… c'est forcément mauvais. C'est forcément des choses qui vont nous ressortir à un mauvais moment." – Emmanuel Soares (51:18)

• On the Instrumental Role of Radio and Comics:

  "La fiction radiophonique… ouvre un imaginaire incroyable… on peut faire des choses incroyables que les productions audiovisuelles auraient bien du mal à payer parce que le son c’est l’imaginaire qui s’offre à l’auditeur." – Emmanuel Soares (38:31)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Introduction & Character Set-Up: 00:01–03:49
• Uchronia and Personal Philosophy: 03:49–07:30
• Chance, Prejudice & the Role of Humor: 08:45–15:28
• Discussion: Sound, Artistry & Medium: 39:00–43:32
• Political Themes and Personal History: 45:31–50:27
• La Division and Taboo Histories: 51:13–56:59
• Closing: Legacy & Possible Continuations: 57:44–end

Flow and Style

The tone alternates between reflective and spirited, with Soares blending humor with depth, regularly questioning both historical events and current social attitudes. His narratives—via Corentin or through his own lived experience—embody a commitment to empathy, suspicion of grand narratives, and a persistent drive to interrogate the past, not just to understand it, but to keep its lessons present in today’s political and cultural debates.

Conclusion

This episode stands as a manifesto for the value of looking at history through the lens of fiction—and for the necessity of uchronia and humorous critique in countering the simplifications of both current events and conventional historical narrative. By following Soares’ stories and process, listeners are invited to adopt new perspectives, question inherited narratives, and remember that history—told well—both frees us from current anxieties and sheds light on the world as it stands.