Emmanuel Carrère's latest novel, titled Koljós, provides a fascinating glimpse into the author's life and his relationship with television. Growing up in the 1960s, Carrère noticed that while his friends had televisions, his family relied on reading as a source of entertainment. This divergence allowed him to develop a deep connection with literary culture, but it also disconnected him from the popular culture that unites many people of his generation.

In Koljós, Carrère humorously critiques this reality by presenting a metaphorical 'television' through literature, transforming his lack of access into a profound exploration of culture. The book serves as a tribute to the many monuments of culture that television has created, despite the author's physical absence from that world. This paradox highlights how, for those without television, its impact is felt in new ways, as they consume and engage with popular culture through alternative mediums like literature and their imagination.

The narrative culminates in an amusing episode involving Carrère and his mother, Hélène Carrère d’Encausse, during a well-known French television program, Apostrophe. This encounter underscores the mixed feelings of nostalgia and a sense of distance between the mother and son, enriching the text’s exploration of familial dynamics and cultural identity, as Carrère reflects on his past while engaging with the TV culture that shaped many lives around him.