The Challenges of Four-handed Writing: An Interview with Rosa Montero and Olivier Truc Regarding the Creative Process behind "La desconocida/L’inconnue du port"

Abstract

This publication examines the collaborative process behind La desconocida / L’inconnue du port, a bilingual noir novel by Rosa Montero and Olivier Truc, written through alternating chapters in Spanish and French. Commissioned by the Quais du Polar, the project combined formal constraints with experimental aims. Rejecting the “cadavre exquis” model, both authors adopted a method that balances narrative planning with mutual surprise. Continuous communication ensured coherence while allowing the plot to develop unpredictably. The protagonists, Anna Ripoll and Erik Zapori, embody complementary perspectives, while Clara’s fragmented memory structures the narrative and introduces themes such as identity and human trafficking. Despite the use of two languages, a gradual stylistic convergence emerges, perceived by readers as a unified voice. This unity arose organically rather than through deliberate imitation. Overall, the publication highlights noir fiction as a space for exploring social and ethical issues, particularly the tension between institutional and individual justice, and presents the collaboration as an intercultural creative dialogue.