I am often asked why I publish my grandfather’s thoughts, first of all I loved him very much, he was cultured and I dreamed of looking like him. He was one of those who were called “boulevardiers” at the beginning of the 20th century with Tristan Bernard.
After his death, my phone rang and a publisher named Jean-Paul Caracalla arranged to meet me at the Café des 2 Magots.
“I was one of your grandfather’s oldest friends, and before he died he left me this for you. he announced, handing me a thick folder filled with loose handwritten sheets. They were drafts of the book he hadn’t been able to finish. His hastily thrown out sentences were the remnants of his last thoughts. This is why I like to publish them in order to let people experience his singular spirit.
I still remember our last lunch. It was with his old friend the boxing champion Georges Carpentier. I don’t really remember (alas) the conversation, however the rest remains engraved forever.
After the end of the agapes Carpentier invited us to have a coffee at his place next to the restaurant. In the lobby there was a lift for two people. As I held the door for them: “Get up, get up, I’m going on foot!” he called, rushing up the stairs.
In the elevator with my grandfather, I was about to press the button for the sixth floor, when he grabbed my arm: “Wait a bit, he said to me, give him the pleasure of arriving before us. . »
The Elegance of olden time…
Jean-Marie Périer
