Trafika Europe 11 - Swiss Delights

Noëlle Revaz

because of his readiness to question everything. His tendency to question was feared because it was risky and could send a show off a cliff. But at the same time it was manna from heaven for a host who, by necessity, had no critical sense. There were treacherous shoals to be navigated in discussions of books: things took a dangerous turn when a book was shown next to its creator and not a single comparison seemed possible. This meant no one on the show knew what they were dealing with and this terrible lack of knowledge brought a palpable sense of menace. The cameras almost swiveled on their stands and you could almost see the director in his booth biting his nails. That was why, when no spontaneous comparison seemed possible, the guest mounted the barricades as one and rallied behind the host to find some point of reference. Each one threw out a name he could connect to the untethered book. Jenna Fortuni’s books had undergone the ritual of comparison dozens of times. When three books had appeared, each had been connected to another book, which in turn had been attached to yet another. Jenna’s books emerged from each show slightly crushed. However, it was clear that this made everything easier and more reassuring. Jenna herself was also subjected to comparison. Since

196