Literary fiction is often created from fragments of reality. When creating characters’ psychology, writers almost always borrow something from real people – sometimes a lot. A scandal arises when the similarity becomes too obvious.
„El País“ reminds that in Evelyn Waugh’s novel „Brideshead Revisited“ the social climber Rex Mottram was created based on Winston Churchill’s minister Brendan Bracken, whose pomposity and vanity the writer disliked.
And Truman Capote was shunned by part of society and fell into depression when he revealed the secrets of his friends – representatives of New York high society called the „swans“ – in the novel „Answered Prayers“.
R.Cusk caused a similar „literary betrayal“ this summer with the novel „Life of M“, published in English on August 25. Critics almost immediately recognized Natalie Portman in it.
The novel’s heroine M begins her film career playing a very „Lolita“-type role. Her mother demands the removal of sex scenes. This resembles N.Portman’s role in Luc Besson’s film „Léon: The Professional“, in which the actress, at just 11 years old, played Mathilda – a girl who forms a sexualized relationship with a killer.
M also plays a ballerina – one of the most important roles in her career. N.Portman won a string of awards for her role in the film „Black Swan“, including an Oscar.
M works for a well-known cosmetics company, and N.Portman is a „Dior“ ambassador. M lives in a European capital, and N.Portman in Paris.
N.Portman, who is now 45, is not only an actress but also a director and producer. She holds Israeli and US citizenships, has graduated in psychology, and is an avid reader.
The actress has previously publicly expressed admiration for R.Cusk’s work: she included several of the writer’s novels in her book club and participated in a public discussion about R.Cusk’s work „Parade“ in 2024.
N.Portman’s circle reacted to the novel’s release with irritation and dissatisfaction. However, the actress herself did not officially comment on the story. R.Cusk also refused to talk about whether N.Portman was the inspiration for the novel’s heroine M.
„Painful“ portrait of N.Portman
In the novel, M is portrayed as a person unable to form a real emotional connection, convinced that „reality can be constructed“. She is tense, short-sighted, and alienated.
Critics note the paradox: that R.Cusk once again mercilessly used a real person to be able to write about herself.
At the very beginning of the novel, an anonymous narrator M announces the intention to write her biography.
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„And what will you do? Invent?“ – she replies.
At the end of the book, M reproaches the author for creating a „painful“ portrait of her, in which she is depicted as a person „unable to love“.
However, it is impossible to know whether the situations described at the beginning and end of the novel truly reflect any real conversation between N.Portman and R.Cusk.
R.Cusk and real people’s stories
59-year-old Rachel Cusk was born in Canada but moved to the United Kingdom at the age of eight. In 2021, she settled in Paris.
The writer has many fans and has received several awards. Her work is increasingly moving away from the traditional novel – elements of classical realist literature, such as plot and characters, recede into the background, while human experience and conversations come to the forefront.
„I don’t think the character (in literature – editor’s note) still exists,“ R.Cusk said in a 2018 interview with „The New Yorker“.
Her book „A Life’s Work“, which mercilessly describes motherhood, caused a stormy reaction. Later, in the novels „Aftermath“ and „Kudos“, she described her divorce from photographer Adrian Clarke. Some critics called this text a „masterpiece of moral dissection“, others – excessive narcissism of the author.
R.Cusk has previously received threats of legal action due to overly recognizable portraits of real people. The publisher was forced to withdraw and destroy the first edition of her book „The Last Supper: A Summer in Italy“ because the people described in it were too similar to the persons with whom the writer traveled in Italy.
Did the friendship between N.Portman and R.Cusk end?
The media presents the new novel as a possible reason for the end of the friendship between the two women. However, N.Portman’s circle anonymously claimed that their relationship was minimal and never went beyond professional boundaries.
„El País“ emphasizes that even if this part of the story is not entirely true, it sounds convincing – especially knowing the previous experiences of both women.
N.Portman has already had a public and rather stormy episode with another writer. In 2016, „The New York Times Style Magazine“ published her email correspondence with American author Jonathan Safran Foer. The letters soon became the subject of social media jokes and memes due to the alleged pretentiousness of both interlocutors as they discussed veganism, literature, and Judaism.
This episode could have been great publicity for Safran Foer’s novel „Here I Am“, but ultimately the literary work was overshadowed by romantic gossip.
And the silence of R.Cusk and N.Portman this time may work the opposite way: when the literary drama calms down, interest in the book itself may grow even more.
