A New Perspective on Audibles: The Example of La Divine Comédie d'Amélie Nothomb

Abstract

The contemporary age introduces new challenges in publishing and authorship, amplified by the Internet and its new modes of dissemination. Notable innovations include self-publishing platforms and the digital distribution of books, areas in which Amazon has emerged as a major player through Kindle, the acquisition of Audible, and although briefly, Amazon Books. Particular attention has been drawn to the audiobook La Divine Comédie d'Amélie Nothomb: voyage mythologique des enfers au paradis, distributed by Audible's French subsidiary in February 2021. Created by Laureline Amanieux in collaboration with Amélie Nothomb, this project is notable for its hybrid nature. While audiobooks are traditionally aural transpositions of pre-existing literary works, this creation is an exception. Its uniqueness creates uncertainty even among its authors, who debate whether to define it as a podcast, audiobook, or documentary.

This paper analyzes the multimedia character of this work, which reimagines Dante's Comedy in an innovative format. In particular, it explores whether the audiobook can be seen not merely as a derivative work but as an original creation, challenging the concept of what constitutes a book. The analysis emphasizes the script underpinning the project, which, while allowing room for improvisation in dialogic sequences, is structured around well-defined readings, both monologues and quotations from various works, including Dante's Comedy.