Chris Marker’s first and only novel Le Cœur Net, was originally published by Éditions du Seuil in 1949 and won the Prix Orion in 1950, awarded by the French Minister of Aviation. With the prize money, Chris Marker bought a tape recorder and began recording conversations of people he met. This gradually developed into a creative approach that led to films such as Cuba Si and Le Jolie Mai.
Set in Indochina, Le Cœur Net revolves around an airmail service where the pilot Delso gets caught in an unexpected storm and his friend, the head of the airline Van Helsen, tries to navigate him out of it, while Delso‘s lover Hélène and the journalist Jerry hope for his return.