Making of

A historical novel above all

The Testament of Azénor has no ambition other than that of a historical novel. It does not claim to reconstruct an era exhaustively, nor to settle historiographical debates that remain open. It does, however, draw—as faithfully as possible—on a body of sources that informed the writing and shaped the narrative.

A little-known period

The history of the 6th century in Brittany and Ireland remains largely fragmentary. Despite recent advances in research, certainties are still rare and chronologies often uncertain. This is why no precise dates are given in the novel: what matters most is preserving an overall coherence.

The legend of Azénor and Saint Budoc

The novel follows, in its broad outlines, the legend of Azénor as it has come down to us through several versions. One of the main sources of inspiration was the Life of Saint Budoc, included in The Lives of the Saints of Armorican Brittany by Albert Le Grand, a 17th-century Breton hagiographer who relied on ancient manuscripts that have since disappeared.

It is worth noting that this text does not mention the monastic school of Lavrec, which is nevertheless attributed to Budoc in other vitae. This divergence strengthens the hypothesis that several distinct saints may have borne the name Budoc.

Irish and archaeological sources

For the Irish saints, inspiration comes chiefly from the work of the Reverend John Healy, Insula Sanctorum et Doctorum (1912), which remains a reference despite its age.

As for the island of Lavrec, the excavation reports by Pierre-Roland Giot—conducted between 1977 and 1983 and now accessible online—were an essential source.

The Book of Invasions of Ireland

Early Irish texts—particularly the Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of Invasions of Ireland), which forms the background to the novel—have come down to us through many manuscripts. While partial French translations exist, no complete academic translation is currently available in French.

Extracts and commentary do, however, appear in many studies devoted to the Celtic world, notably those of Christian-Joseph Guyonvarc’h and Françoise Le Roux. Complete translations, by contrast, are available in English, especially that of R. A. Stewart Macalister.