Pseudo

Written in a fortnight in 1976, while Gary was shut away in a studio in Geneva, Pseudo takes the form of a furious, impulsive and brutal account meant to silence anyone speculating about the true identity of Émile Ajar: “But who is this Ajar?” all Paris wondered. “My nephew, Paul Pavlowitch,” Gary answered, determined to carry the deception through to the end.

With Pseudo, Gary rebuilds the entire Ajar defense piece by piece, with the ruthless mastery of the worst machinations. In this purported autobiography of Pavlowitch, Gary achieves his aim: putting an end to the rumors, deceiving the press, and settling a number of scores with himself — the imposture pushed to its extreme paradoxically producing something authentic: “I invented Paul Pavlowitch from scratch in the novel. A madman. I wanted to express anguish, and I burdened you with that anguish. I am also settling scores with myself — or rather, with the legend that has been pinned on me.”