The material of a life

Reverse-engineering a life

Since early 2026, Alexander has been taking his own story apart the way one takes apart a program: civil records, archives, articles, accounts handed down, memories. He works in successive layers and keeps the gaps visible: when a reason is missing, it remains to be found. The book may take two years or fifteen; one day the material may be handed to a biographer, under his control.

The Swann Bible and the laws of Swann

Out of this work came the Swann Bible, the document where everything is filed, and a serious game: the laws of Swann. False mathematics, narrative truth. The stamp rule comes from the pharmacy’s errand boys: no request is too small to be served. Alfred typing comes from the refusal to assimilate: you can fit in without being converted. The Hornet protocol comes from the besieged house: turning off the light reduces the attack surface. The grandmother’s gesture comes from the choking: a rescue is not a matter of strength, but of the right gesture at the right moment.

Always some light

In the Swann view, life can be hard, violent, exhausting, magnificent; there is always light somewhere. Even in the dark, it can be found or made. That, in the end, is what the old sentence is for: figure it out, it has to work.