by Christos Zabounis
The French public was stunned to learn, through the television programme *Apostrophes*, that a celebrated writer openly boasted about his sexual encounters with underage boys and girls. The affair was subsequently “buried” – to use an expression of the time – by the French intellectual elite, who defended the writer’s right to explore every aspect of human desire without censorship or legal restrictions. It was the year 1990, and the Socialist François Mitterrand had just been elected President of the French Republic for a second term. Mitterrand was an admirer of Matzneff’s work – as, it must be said, was the present writer. It would take another thirty years before the immunity enjoyed by the aforementioned paedophile was finally overturned. This happened when one of his victims, Vanessa Springora, published a book describing in detail their relationship, which began when she was just fourteen years old. Because of the statute of limitations, Matzneff was never convicted. Nevertheless, Springora’s book, “Le Consentement” (“Consent”), led to the passing of legislation under which any sexual act between an adult and a minor under the age of fifteen is automatically considered rape. Consent at the age of fifteen is recognised only when the age difference between the two individuals is less than five years. An age gap of forty-eight years – 76 and 28 – lies at the heart of Richard Gere’s new film, inspired by the relationship between the equally celebrated writer Philip Roth and his assistant, Lisa Halliday. The film is based on the novel written by Halliday herself, appropriately titled “Asymmetry”. Photographs from the production, shot in Central Park (the film has not yet been released in cinemas), have unsettled conservative circles in the United States, raising questions about power dynamics in relationships marked by significant age differences, as well as the potential manipulation of a younger person by an older partner.
