Philippe Durand, storyteller, offered several events at the Montcapel Chapel. The most recent took place as part of the Enchanted Lyrics Festival, in the form of a storytelling walk at the very heart of the factory.
Author, Philippe Durand agreed to present his latest work, The chips told mejust published.
Former Parisian, you seem particularly attached to fleas …
Indeed, I lived near the fleas for many years. I animated visits there, which made me want to devote a book to them, highlighting the often unknown life of little people. Today, garage sale or garage sale can be perceived as an extension of this old form of sale between individuals.
The cover photo represents Burgundy coffee…
Historically, this coffee, just like the Picolo, an emblematic coffee of fleas, is located at the limit of the 18th arrondissement. The major works carried out by Haussmann and Napoleon III have transformed Paris, repelling the ragpickers outside the center towards the peripheral belt. After the war of 1870, the city cleaners invested the surroundings of the so -called Thiers fortifications, then military area in wasteland, which surrounded the hearts of the capital (a bit like the ring road today). The army abandoning the site, these recuperators settled there gradually, giving birth to the fleas.
By their side, the gypsies introduced gypsy jazz, developing popular music of which Django Reinhardt is an emblematic figure.
Let’s go back to your book. Tell us about your characters …
The romanticized form offers great freedom of writing, in the choice of names and eras. Some characters existed, others could have. I gave life to the Cordouan family, whose name is that of one of my ancestors. Then, I had fun imagining the history of its members out of five generations. The book, structured in three chapters, is a reflection of all that these chips told me.
I would like to talk about it at length during the presentation at the Esperaza media library, the Wednesday June 25 from 3 p.m. A signing session is also planned.
