Interview: Sophie Noël, an author committed to One Voice
Published in March 2025, Le Serment de l’Homme Rouge (The Red Man’s Oath), which tells the story of a young boy discovering the reality of orangutans falling victim to deforestation, marks the beginning of a collaboration between the publishing house Éditions Evalou and One Voice. For every book purchased in the “Lectures animalistes” collection, one euro will be donated to our fight for animal rights. An interview with Sophie Noël, author of this first adventure novel for teenagers and adults, a true call to defend wildlife from human activities.
- You were a schoolteacher, then you became a novelist more than ten years ago. How would you describe your career path and how would you describe yourself as an author?
My grandmother bought me a little notebook when I was eight years old, and from that moment on I never stopped writing. Twelve or thirteen years ago, I gave up my job as a primary school teacher to follow a training course, and I turned a story I had written into a novel. I sent it to some publishers, without really believing it would work. But it did. I took the risk of becoming an author because it was another way of conveying my values of humanism, ecology, respect for the animal world, respect for people…
- So would you describe yourself as a committed author?
Yes, I would. There are several themes that are close to my heart. In particular, I talk about accepting differences and rejecting racism… because my two adopted daughters are from Haiti and have black skin. I also have a very deep commitment to ecology and animal welfare. I convey these values in my stories. There is always something about showing animals as sentient beings, something that can help people understand that animals are just as valuable as we are. In all my books, even those whose general theme is not animal rights, there is always a little message in favour of animals.
- You published Le Serment de l’Homme Rouge (The Red Man’s Oath) with Éditions Evalou. What is the story about?
It’s the story of a young boy, Kali, who lives in Paris and goes on holiday to Indonesia to visit his grandparents. There, with a girl his own age, he discovers his great-grandfather’s diary, in which he made a vow to the Red Man. “The Red Man” in Indonesian is the orangutan. So Kali, with his friend Kirana, wants to keep the promise his great-grandfather made, and he becomes an activist. They discover animal trafficking and commit themselves to fighting against deforestation and for the protection of animals, particularly orangutans in the Indonesian jungle.
- Why was it important for you to write about wild animals that are victims of human activity, and in this case, about orangutans that are victims of deforestation?
Orangutans are in Indonesia, we are in France: we are not very aware of them because we don’t see them. I thought we needed to talk about it because it’s far away from us, and at the same time very close because it concerns us, because we use palm oil although we shouldn’t. All of these are important causes and effects, and there’s also an empathetic side to it. Not just with orangutans, who resemble us because they are apes, but with all animals, for whom we must have empathy in order to understand and protect them better. I think that’s our role as humans.
- You support One Voice in two ways: by choosing Éditions Evalou and through your personal donations to our association. How did you decide to get involved with us and why do you continue to support our fight for animals today?
You do what I don’t have time to do, and I need to help you to make this commitment a reality. What’s more, I think what you do is fabulous: you’re out in the field, you’re courageous, I find that incredible, I admire you greatly. The only way I can support you, for the moment at least, is by making donations. I was very proud and honoured when Evalou told me that part of the proceeds from the sale of my book would go to your association.
- What message would you like to convey to those who read Le Serment de l’Homme Rouge?
The message I would like to convey is the importance of helping them, of not consuming palm oil, for example. Above all, it is an awareness that we are all connected: animals, humans, and the environment. And because we are the ones who decide – unfortunately, because that’s the way it is, we probably think we are superior – the fate of many animals is in our hands. So we must do everything we can: it could be a small donation, a little book, a commitment to go to the end of the earth and to try to help them there, whatever it takes: every little gesture helps the animal cause.