He wants to bear witness to his times – these terrible times, with lies and massacres, with peace attempts that always end in stalemate, all the while man is condemned to suffer. He already has a title, a simple title for these long verses, these long tirades against the ugliness of Destiny: he calls them The Tragedies.

Mathias Enard, Parle-leur de batailles, de rois et d’éléphants, 2010