美国国家公共电台 NPR 'The Bettencourt Affair': Extravagant Friendship Or Cruel Swindle?

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Great scandals often begin in passion or ambition, but how do you explain the Bettencourt affair in France? Liliane Bettencourt, the richest woman in the world, is now locked off from the world by Alzheimer's. She's heir to the L'Oreal cosmetics¹ fortune of nearly $40 billion. Why would she give maybe as much as a billion dollars in cash, real estate and art to Francois-Marie Banier, an artist and photographer who's a quarter of a century younger and openly gay. Was it extravagant² support for a friend or the cruel swindle of a senior citizen? Liliane's daughter filed a criminal case, and the resulting scandal has been followed in France revelation by revelation for a decade.

Tom Sancton has written "The Bettencourt Affair: The World's Richest Woman And The Scandal That Rocked Paris." He is the former longtime Paris bureau chief for Time and a bestselling author. He joins us from the BBC in Paris. Thanks so much for being with us.

TOM SANCTON: Thanks for having me, Scott.

SIMON: At the heart seems to be the spark of whatever passed between Liliane Bettencourt and Francois-Marie Banier, what he called an extraordinary encounter when he came to shoot her portrait in 1987. Tell us about that day.

SANCTON: Well, he was at that time a photographer and known for celebrity³ portraits. He'd also written successful novels. He was actually a rather multi-talented artist, but he was assigned as a photographer to go take her portrait. And they just kind of hit it off. He's very, how shall I say, upfront, sometimes flippant. He's socially unpredictable, let's say. So he - I think he kind of destabilized her by the way he talked to her, you know, saying, you know, pose here, do this, do that. He made her change her pants. He made her - he changed her hair style. And I think...

SIMON: People don't talk to someone with $40 billion that way.

SANCTON: Exactly. And she was used to being kowtowed to. And this was a breath of fresh air. And so they - she began to invite him over. In the afternoons, they'd have tea together. And eventually, it developed into a very close friendship, although he's 25 years younger and he's openly homosexual. It wasn't I don't think by any means a physical relationship, but it developed into what I describe as a platonic⁴ love affair.

SIMON: And I made a note of a quote, 2008 letter that she wrote him. Let me read it. It says, with you, I am like a mother, a lover. All the feelings pass through me. It makes me tremble.

SANCTON: Yes, that's a remarkable⁵ quote. Although she was a very, very wealthy woman, at the time that she met him, she was depressed⁶. She was bored. She was living a very constrained⁷, confined, codified⁸ bourgeois⁹ life. And she was very unhappy. She had a terrible relationship with her daughter, Francoise, who was very introverted and more interested in her books and her piano than the kind of lifestyle or the dinner parties and the sort of lifestyle that her parents led. Her husband was a closet homosexual himself and really obsessed¹⁰ with his own political career, which he funded with Liliane's money.

So there she was in a gilded¹¹ cage and very lonely. And Banier showed up that day we've just described, that day that he had the photo session in 1987. And he just opened doors to a life she couldn't imagine before. He introduced her to artists and writers and actors and took her to art galleries and art auctions¹² and theater. And it was just a breath of fresh air. And she just rushed to embrace it.

SIMON: During the 10 years that this story has played out too, so many other factors got dragged in. I mean, it's not a good scandal in France without a Nazi¹³.

SANCTON: (Laughter) Well, this - it's really a saga¹⁴. You know, it's not just - the book is not just about the legal battle. I mean, that's the central theme. But Eugene Schueller, who was Liliane's father, was a brilliant chemist and actually invented synthetic¹⁵ hair dye and on that basis founded L'Oreal, which is the world's - now the world's biggest cosmetics firm. And that was the basis for his fabulous¹⁶ fortune and Liliane's fabulous fortune.

Brilliant man, brilliant businessman, brilliant chemist, but he had a major flaw, which he was - he had a weakness for fascist¹⁷ ideology¹⁸. Incredibly, L'Oreal's sales quadrupled during the war years. You couldn't do that without the blessing¹⁹ of the occupying forces. So that's the kind of dark cloud hanging over the family and hanging over L'Oreal.

SIMON: Do you believe she was swindled?

SANCTON: No, I don't personally. I don't. Bear in mind that Banier was ultimately convicted of abusing her. But I personally think that she knew what she was doing. She knew she was giving a large or maybe extravagant amount of money to Banier, but she said she was doing it of her own free will in order to support his artistic²⁰ endeavors. I think she made it clear from the beginning that, yeah, it's a lot of money. But as she said, in proportion to my fortune, it's miniscule, which is true. But he didn't put a gun to her head. And every statement she made about her motivations and her intentions make it clear that in her own mind, this is what she wanted to do.

SIMON: You, I gather from the book, rather liked him.

SANCTON: Oh, Banier?

SIMON: Yeah.

SANCTON: I thought he was a fascinating character. He's charming. He's seductive.

SIMON: And writers like fascinating characters.

SANCTON: Yes, absolutely. You know, if I were writing a novel and invented a character like that, I'd be very, very proud of myself. But he certainly has his flaws. I mean, he's a - he is self-interested. He's very materialistic²¹, also very cultivated and a talented artist. Once Liliane's mental faculties²² started to slip and her memory got foggy and, you know, she - it became clear over the years that she was not entirely²³ with it.

Personally, I think he should have at that point said, OK, I'm not going to accept anymore. Thank you very much. But he - as he said, it would have - it gave her so much pleasure to give him things, give him money, that it would have hurt her feelings and he didn't want to do that, so he accepted.

SIMON: Oh, he was just worried about her feelings.

SANCTON: Well, as I say, he's a complex character, but I did find him fascinating.

SIMON: A French scandal and there's no sex. I've got to tell you, I loved the book, but I was a little disappointed.

SANCTON: I was a little disappointed too when I began to investigate this. I thought, OK, it's got everything. It's got seduction. It's got lots of money. It's got political intrigue²⁴. It's got Nazi collaborators. It's got beautiful women. But I didn't dwell on that.

SIMON: Oh, it's plenty spicy²⁵. Tom Sancton. His book, "The Bettencourt Affair: The World's Richest Woman And The Scandal That Rocked Paris." Thanks so much for being with us.

SANCTON: Thank you. I've enjoyed it.

1 cosmetics   

n.化妆品

参考例句：

• We sell a wide range of cosmetics at a very reasonable price. 我们以公道的价格出售各种化妆品。
• Cosmetics do not always cover up the deficiencies of nature. 化妆品未能掩饰天生的缺陷。

2 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

3 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

4 platonic   

adj.精神的；柏拉图（哲学）的

参考例句：

• Their friendship is based on platonic love.他们的友情是基于柏拉图式的爱情。
• Can Platonic love really exist in real life?柏拉图式的爱情，在现实世界里到底可能吗？

5 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

6 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

7 constrained   

adj.束缚的,节制的

参考例句：

• The evidence was so compelling that he felt constrained to accept it. 证据是那样的令人折服，他觉得不得不接受。
• I feel constrained to write and ask for your forgiveness. 我不得不写信请你原谅。

8 codified   

v.把（法律）编成法典( codify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• In the meantime, however, Kennecott had been codified elsewhere in the Act. 然而，“肯尼考特”一案已被编人法案。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Congress has since codified this holding. 从那时以来，国会编纂整理了最高法院的这一裁定。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

9 bourgeois   

adj./n.追求物质享受的(人)；中产阶级分子

参考例句：

• He's accusing them of having a bourgeois and limited vision.他指责他们像中产阶级一样目光狭隘。
• The French Revolution was inspired by the bourgeois.法国革命受到中产阶级的鼓励。

10 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

11 gilded   

a.镀金的，富有的

参考例句：

• The golden light gilded the sea. 金色的阳光使大海如金子般闪闪发光。
• "Friends, they are only gilded disks of lead!" "朋友们，这只不过是些镀金的铅饼！ 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡

12 auctions   

n.拍卖，拍卖方式( auction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They picked up most of the furniture at auctions in country towns. 他们大部分的家具都是在乡村镇上的拍卖处买的。 来自辞典例句
• Our dealers didn't want these cars, so we had to dump them at auctions. 我们的承销商都不要这些车子，因此我们只好贱价拍卖。 来自辞典例句

13 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

14 saga   

n.(尤指中世纪北欧海盗的)故事，英雄传奇

参考例句：

• The saga of Flight 19 is probably the most repeated story about the Bermuda Triangle.飞行19中队的传说或许是有关百慕大三角最重复的故事。
• The novel depicts the saga of a family.小说描绘了一个家族的传奇故事。

15 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

16 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

17 fascist   

adj.法西斯主义的；法西斯党的；n.法西斯主义者，法西斯分子

参考例句：

• The strikers were roughed up by the fascist cops.罢工工人遭到法西斯警察的殴打。
• They succeeded in overthrowing the fascist dictatorship.他们成功推翻了法西斯独裁统治。

18 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

19 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

20 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

21 materialistic   

a.唯物主义的，物质享乐主义的

参考例句：

• She made him both soft and materialistic. 她把他变成女性化而又实际化。
• Materialistic dialectics is an important part of constituting Marxism. 唯物辩证法是马克思主义的重要组成部分。

22 faculties   

n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院

参考例句：

• Although he's ninety, his mental faculties remain unimpaired. 他虽年届九旬，但头脑仍然清晰。
• All your faculties have come into play in your work. 在你的工作中，你的全部才能已起到了作用。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

24 intrigue   

vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋

参考例句：

• Court officials will intrigue against the royal family.法院官员将密谋反对皇室。
• The royal palace was filled with intrigue.皇宫中充满了勾心斗角。

25 spicy   

adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的

参考例句：

• The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
• Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。