Léo Cairn

Naissance de l’incendie

September 11, 2025
Novel
384 pages
20,90 €
9782385532581
978-2-3855-3258-1
																Léo Cairn, Naissance de l’incendie
																Léo Cairn, Naissance de l’incendie

At the burn treatment center in Rivière Hospital, survivors of all kinds come together: outcasts, women abused by their partners, wounded soldiers, burn victims… What can be done for those who carry the marks of fire on their skin? Gaspard Friedrich, a troubled artist who was saved against his will, becomes a central figure in a support group called “Les Sans Visages” ("The Faceless"). They all share the same experience: being rejected by the world, their lives frozen in pain. Among them are Youri Geffroy, a former soldier broken by war; Adeline Blanchot, an actress abused by her partner; Jasmine, a young girl badly burned in an accident; Lucien and Samira, whose love was forbidden by society… In a world where suffering becomes a spectacle, the Faceless struggle to be seen and heard.

In Naissance de l’incendie, Léo Cairn explores themes of exclusion and resilience through characters whose scars tell the stories of their survival. A powerful and moving portrait of a society that turns its back on those who suffer.

The author

Born in 1964, Léo Cairn is originally from Rennes and now lives in the Paris region. A psychiatrist, he wrote his medical thesis on the writing of the body and illness in the work of Henri Michaux, and continues to explore the relationship between artistic creation and psychopathology in articles for medical journals. He has practiced several times in conflict zones. Une thérapie is his first novel.

Strong points

Subtle writing and brilliantly embodied characters

Interwoven trajectories that question the ability of human beings to rebuild themselves in a society that rejects them

A reflection on marginality and resilience

September 11, 2025
Novel
384 pages
20,90 €
9782385532581
978-2-3855-3258-1