Generation H, volume 3

Generation X, Y, Z... And what if, beyond these chronological constraints, there was a Generation H, encompassing stoners eager for freedom? This is the proposal of Alexandre Grondeau, author of the 3 volumes of Génération H. The latest was released on May 26. Interview with the author.

DR / Andrea Dautelle

Génération H portrays a group of friends who are out of step with society, or even in opposition to it, whose projects are purely short-termist, who are only interested in counter-cultures, who only drink fine wines if they steal them, who only make money through system D, who rent flat-shares, who dream of elsewhere but stay at home, etc... By creating this Génération H, aren't you caricaturing it at the same time?

Génération H is an unfiltered novel that describes an actual reality, our own, that of a hedonistic, hard-driving youth ready to do anything to live out its dreams. The heroes I write about existed, as did the situations I describe. Yes, we burned everything in our path, but that's just the way we were. What you think is caricature probably corresponds to our hardcore, uncompromising side, which is extreme in a way, but I didn't want to lie to soften our way of living and thinking. I totally assume this aspect of our lives, and so do the other heroes of the novel. System D was our practice, and our main project in life was to live fast, hard and well. That's what «Bons à Rien sauf à vivre», Volume 3 of Génération H, is all about.

The triptych is built around the title Génération H, which you embellish with «Tête chercheuse d'existence» on the second volume, and «Bons à rien sauf à vivre» on the third. Is the place of the individual in life a subject that preoccupies you?

Yes, the individual is at the heart of my novels and my artistic aspirations. At a very young age, I was fortunate - or unfortunate, depending on your point of view - not to have too much hope in human nature, and I built my life with one certainty: if humankind was capable of the worst, individuals could aspire to the best. I tried to build as intense a life as possible, and that's what I'm talking about in Génération H. Happiness comes first and foremost through individuals...

How do you see cannabis for this generation? As a starting point, a point of agreement, an outlet?

For Generation H, cannabis is a passion, a way of life, a pretext for encounters, madness and delirium. The novel's heroes build their lives around this hedonistic variable, from which they derive a great deal of satisfaction, and sometimes a great deal of hardship too.

Do you think Generation H will ever see legalization in France? Or do they want to?

Yes, I'm convinced that Generation H will soon see legalization. To be honest, though, I'm not sure that many members of Generation H are looking forward to it, if it's only to be taxed more and more and not be able to grow their own weed at home.

Will we ever leave Generation H?

No, I don't think we're losing the spirit we once had. In any case, all my heroes are still very much alive, very much partying, very much happy to keep banging out bars of laughter and doing lots of stupid things. I don't remember who said that you become an adult when you stop wanting to be a punk or a poet. Generation H is still punk and still a poet... and will remain so until the end.

Where were you on September 11, 2001?

Ah ah, well, since my friends call me Sacha, and there's a whole chapter in which I recount how we lived through this event, I'll let readers find out very soon in volume 3 of the free Bons à Rien sauf à vivre.

Generation H, good for nothing but living is available in bookshops from May 26. More info on http://www.generation-h.fr/