French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire is under fire for publishing a new, sexually explicit novel as his country grapples with a financial crisis. The book, titled Fugue Américaine—American Runaway in English—follows the story of brothers who rendezvous with classical pianist Vladimir Horowitz in 1949, The Wall Street Journal reported. It also includes some graphic sex scenes, narrated in rather sterile language by the 54-year-old government official. Le Maire’s detractors have capitalized on the book, asking why the finance minister is devoting time to sensual prose when the French people are dealing with rising costs of living. Jokes aside, some French critics say the book is actually pretty good, and it continues a tradition of French politicians dabbling in the creative arts. Le Maire is not, however, planning an immediate sequel. “After a book that has required so much time, maturation and work, there will be a long period without writing,” he said, according to the Journal.
