Perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena's First Novel, La Note Verte (2013) {New Book - Fragrant Reading}

Hermès in-house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena is about to publish his first novel. It is entitled in French La note verte (The Green Note). The story line is partly autobiographical as is often the case with debut novels, whatever the age of the writer; Ellena is 66....

The novel features the lines of tension existing between perfumery creation and marketing. If that has become the heart of the story, one can see how deeply felt an issue it can be for a nose today. There is the character of an older perfumer who believes in creating more independently as in the past confronting a younger man who is pragmatically much more inclined to submit to the forces of marketing. 

Here is the summary of the story line in French, from the publisher,

"Jean-Claude Ellena, en professionnel rigoureux, livre un très intéressant portrait d’un monde en pleine évolution. Narrateur subtil, il se garde bien de tomber dans le panneau d’une querelle des anciens et des modernes ; mais, s’il ne prend parti pour aucun de ses protagonistes, dont il saisit avec finesse les contradictions et les failles, il laisse planer sur certaines scènes le parfum d’une délicieuse ironie, qui n’est pas la moindre qualité de ce roman… de terrain."

The book will be available on May 2, 2013. 

La note verte

Jean-Claude Ellena

Éditions Sabine Wespieser

Disponible en librairie à partir du 2 mai 2013

16 €, 144 p.