The great reporter Alain Dubat delivers his testimony on the war in the former Yugoslavia

By Thomas Guilbert published Le Courrier de l'Eure Voir my news

Sarajevo.One evening of bombing.Alain Dubat began writing his book in 1994.The war reporter for France Télévisions released on November 11, 2021 a novel on the war in the former Yugoslavia, a shadow in the tower, edited by IGB edition.

The journalist, now retired, drew from his many notes to tell behind the scenes of the war report.In this first book, he also tells the love story of a sniper woman and a French soldier.

"At the beginning, it was a bet with my sound engineer, Jean-Guy.I said to him: I write that because I may not remember it when I am old, "explains Alain Dubat, who has now taken up residence in Ménesqueville, near Lyons-la-Forêt (Eure).

« Démystifier l’image du grand reporter»»

It was in Normandy, during the first confinement, that the former 66 -year -old journalist completed his manuscript abandoned for years.By the mind and by the words, in 2020, he exhumed memories almost thirty years old ...

The writing process was long and difficult.The publisher fought so that Alain Dubat goes to the last line."He forced me and there, it's a box.»Result: 500 pre -orders and, since the release in bookstores, 2,000 pounds sold.A shadow in the tower is already being re -edition.

Alain Dubat has never returned unscathed from his missions in war areas."I kept trauma.Friends, they have committed suicide, ”he slips between a few anecdotes.His book, for him, was to show behind the scenes and "demystify the image of the big reporter"."I wanted people to know the risk of crazy we have taken to inform them.But what you saw on TV is 10 % of what we have seen, "he continues, explaining that he had to watered down the" hard scenes "in his story.

Portrait : l'admirateur des « barons»»

"I was not intended to become a journalist.However, Alain Dubat had 40 years of press card at the end of his career.Electrician by training, he entered the ORTF emissions as enlightenment."I wanted to go to the newspaper.I saw the guys passing with their cameras, “the barons” that we called them.They made five columns in the front page and all that, ”he says.The admiration smile remains;However, he too was going to spend a large part of his life in the war areas.In 1979, he left for his first war report in Iran when the Shah was overthrown.During its career, Lebanon, Nicaragua, San Salvador, Chad, Rwanda will follow, during its career...Then he stood out, years later, by colleagues by making a report alone."I proposed to go and live three weeks with the tramps in immersion in the metro, with my camera.It made a box.It was he who tells it: then journalists Bernard Benyamin and Paul Nahon challenge France Télévisions to be JRI in the reporters service, making him work for programs as a special special envoy.His life is above all adrenaline and a lot of injuries."We learn to live with the risk.We were hyperprudential.We were far from the sometimes conveyed image of the heartless journalist who does not think.We were sensitive and we were afraid.During a mission in Iraq, the revelation comes to him after a serious leg injury.Stop!"A lot of friends were killed.I wanted it not to become the report of too much, ”explains the one who taught young reporters the attitude to adopt in risk zones.Alain Dubat ended his career as a journalist at the service detached at the Élysée, under the terms of Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande."I made all the trips of these Presidents of the Republic.Before, I was used to sleeping in shitty stuff.There, I found myself in palaces.It was a crazy thing, "he says, almost disgusted.Despite his retirement in 2016, Alain Dubat did not hang up the camera.He created a drone shooting company.Until 2020, he worked for the Paris police headquarters and the Ministry of the Interior.

« C’est salvateur»»

During his career, the reporter had to take the initiative to go to a psychiatric hospital when his trauma resurfaced."When we come back, we sleep badly at night, we cross the street while running.Despite everything, he held the bet to write."I had to remember certain scenes.It was not easy to write.I had to pick up the images that I had evacuated ... but it's saving.»»

Despite everything, Alain Dubat refused to practice autobiographical exercise."I didn't want to talk about certain things.These are real facts mixed with fiction.»» Il a d’ailleurs conçu chaque chapitre comme une histoire."And the book is a season.The next will be on Afghanistan.»»

A shadow in the tower is also the story of a love.That of a sniper woman and a French soldier. Tous deux sont réels, « mais l’histoire d’amour, elle, n’a jamais existé»».

L’« ombre dans la tour»», c’est cette femme, Irina.Bosnian snipers killed her husband and child."By revenge, she decided to kill them.»» Jamais les enfants.Only men."She went down a few.I never wanted to witness this.»»

Furtive silhouette

Alain Dubat had only one objective: to film Irina and to tell his suffering as mother and widow in mourning.He braved the danger to approach Irina and met her. On a pu voir sa silhouette à la télévision en contre-jour, « furtive»».Just a few shots."I didn't want to put her in danger to make an image.»»

Alain Dubat in any case in any case an ambivalent memory."She was surprising, particularly beautiful, and at the same time, she was sad.Besides, all readers fall in love with her.For my part, I thought what she was doing was disgusting.But somewhere, I had empathy for this girl.In truth, we never know how we would react if someone killed our women and children.»»

Avec son ancien collègue Laurent Boussié, Alain Dubat envisage de retourner à Sarajevo, de retrouver la « famille de cœur»» qui les « couvrait d’amour en permanence»», lui et son équipe, mais aussi toutes les familles qu’ils ont rencontrées.And maybe Irina.Like most characters in the novel, she survived war.

This remains a project, just like seeing your book focused on the big screen.But today, Alain Dubat is thinking of his adventures.Even if the edition of his first novel gives him great satisfaction, the great reporter remains humble and full of humor: "We compared my book to Kessel.But if I had his talent, it would be known.»»

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