INTERVIEW: Mountain near Therme Vals in Switzerland subject of new graphic novel
Image courtesy of Arsenal Pulp Press / Provided Superfan Promotions with permission.
Swimming in Darkness, the new graphic novel from debut writer Lucas Harari, follows a young architect named Pierre who drops out of school and heads to the world-famous Therme Vals, the impressively designed hotel and spa complex in Switzerland. He is drawn to not only the spa but also the mountain where it resides — a mountain that is legendary for opening up its mouth and swallowing people whole.
Harari is the son of two architects, according to press notes, and he also studied architecture, like Pierre in the graphic novel. Soon enough, he switched to cartooning, and Swimming in Darkness is his debut publication.
The book is mostly fiction, but it’s obvious that some elements are autobiographical. These pages also serve as a tribute toarchitect Peter Zumthor, who designed the real Therme Vals.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Harari about the project, which is now available from Arsenal Pulp Press. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What do you like about the architecture of Peter Zumthor?
It was mainly the thermal baths of Vals that interested me in the first place. It was above all an aesthetic shock. I discovered this place during a trip with my parents (who are architects) when I was 13 years old, and I felt a kind of understanding of the building. Everything that makes up the very core of architecture — the light, the volume, the materials, the distribution of the different spaces — took on a new dimension here. It defined these own rules and made me enter into a world in a vacuum that was just waiting to receive a story.
When did you first hear about this legend of a Swiss mountain that swallows people up?
I didn’t. I invented it myself! I needed to connect my story to an ancestral dimension and bring out the fantastic in everyday life. I noticed that everywhere there were local legends: Celtic, Slavic, Scandinavian, Asian, Native. … So I tinkered with my own legend. In a way, the main character convinces himself that this legend is about him, and that’s how he enters into his own adventure. We all like to think of ghosts communicating with us, don’t we?
How would describe the main character Pierre?
Pierre is half me, half an archetype. He is psychologically fragile and in search of answers. I didn’t really dig into psychology, but I needed a character who was both passive and curious. In French, Pierre means stone. It is inert, but when given an impulse, it starts to roll until it meets a wall.
How much of the story and characters are autobiographical?
I’d say it’s auto-fiction. I use certain experiences or autobiographical elements, but I move them to serve my story. For example, my father is my real father, but Pierre is an alter ego on which I can project my own obsessions, desires or fears.
How excited are you to have Swimming in Darkness be your first published book?
It is a child’s dream come true. The idea of being on the shelves close to some of the authors who made me want to do comics is something magical. And being read and able to share emotions through stories and my drawings makes me very happy.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Swimming in Darkness, by Lucas Harari, is now available from Arsenal Pulp Press. Click here for more information.
