France's Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire is in the news for a book he wrote - his fourth in five years - for an erotic passage that has gone viral. Questions have been raised about how the minister finds time for such a project in a period of economic trouble, according to a report in France24. 'Fugue Americaine' is the 13th book by the French minister, who has held the portfolio of Finance and Economy since Emmanuel Macron came to power in 2017.
Speaking to French broadcaster France Info, Le Maire said, "10 lines on 480 pages - you should read the book. It is about music, my passion for music."
He doesn't find anything wrong in writing prose along with leading a political life.
"If there were only politics - without the freedom that literary and romantic creation gives - politics would not be enough," he said in the interview, as reported by CNN.
The minister also said that he was fully focused on creating growth and fighting inflation after coming under fire for penning the steamy novel that was published hours before France's credit rating was downgraded by an agency.
"I am 100% focused on the job," Le Maire told France Info.
'Fugue Americaine' is a fictitious story about legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz and talks about of the travels of brothers Franz and Oskar Wertheimer to Cuba to attend one of his concerts.
It is a graphic account of Oskar having sex with a character named Julia that has exposed Le Maire to mocking and criticism.
Francois Ruffin, a left-wing lawmaker told BFM television: "At a time when the French people have huge worries about inflation... should he have one minute, one hour, one week of his time to dedicate to writing erotic scenes?"
The novel comes after President Emmanuel Macron's junior minister for the social economy, Marlene Schiappa, caused outrage by posing for the cover of Playboy magazine, although fully clothed.
