Tiphaine Auzière, a 40-year-old lawyer and stepdaughter to French President Emmanuel Macron, has published her first novel, “Assises,” addressing domestic violence and the law.
ADVERTISEMENTThe youngest daughter of French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife Brigitte, Tiphaine Auzière, published her debut novel today (Wednesday 6 March), a courtroom drama exploring the legal ramifications and responses to domestic abuse.
The French lawyer stuck to the adage “write what you know” for her novel “Assises,” which refers to the French term for criminal court. It follows a young lawyer in northern France, who is defending a woman accused of murdering her abusive husband.
Auzière dedicated the book to her famous stepfather, writing “To Emmanuel, who showed me that nothing is impossible.”
In an interview with French magazine Paris Match ahead of the book’s release, Auzière spoke out about her mother’s relationship with Macron, one of the rare instances where she has commented on the pair’s controversial start.
Macron was 15 years old when he fell in love with his married drama teacher, Brigitte Auzière, who was 40 at the time. Tiphaine’s older sister Laurence was Macron’s classmate at the time.
Their marriage broke up her family, Auzière says, though she is now on good terms with Macron.
Auzière admitted that the small-town gossip surrounding her mother and Macron was hurtful at the time, when she was just 9 years old.
“I learned a lot about human nature,” she told the magazine. “The attacks, the slander, the judgement. We weren’t in the age of social media yet, but we were in a small town. Everyone knew everything.”
She said she drew many life lessons from this painful chapter of her life.
“I came away with a more open mind, the will to keep moving while tuning out the noise, more tolerance towards others. A family separation can be a sorrow and an opportunity. Rebuilding it can enrich your life. I have a beloved father and stepfather.”
Auzière also responded to mean comments suggesting her mother is transgender. In 2022, Brigitte Macron filed a lawsuit against two women who claimed she was born male.
“I worry about society when I hear that rumours of my mother being a man are spreading on social media,” she said. “The audacity of what’s being claimed and the weight given to these statements. Anyone can say anything about anyone, and it takes a long time to backtrack.”
As for her novel, Auzière says she was nervous before showing it to her mother, who is a French teacher.
“She gave me the greatest compliment by telling me that she loved it and also admitting that she was upset with herself for not having recognised my talent for writing all these years,” she said.
The President, she admitted, hasn’t read the book yet: “As you can imagine, at the moment, he’s a bit busy.”
The novel “Assises” by Tiphaine Auzière is now out in France.
