Dans Tes Pas [French]

By Guillaume de Fonclare

IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS

"One morning my best friend took his own life, with no explanation and no previous signs of despair. He dropped his two daughters at school, drove to work, parked his car, went into the building, took the lift up to the fifth floor which was empty because it had building work going on, hung his jacket over the back of a chair, pushed a table up to a window, climbed onto the table, opened the window and jumped out without a cry. And because he was a big strong man he didn't die straightaway, for a few hours he let us believe he would recover and would be able to explain what we'd all missed. But no, he died and we'll never know why he reached this huge decision to escape.
And here am I having spent ten years crumbling in a body consumed by an illness no one really understands. Soon I won't be able to walk, losing that privilege as I have so many others: being able to hold things and make accurate gestures, the ability to run or simply move freely without constraints.
Why did Serge choose to die? Why have I chosen to live at all costs?"
G. de F.

Born in Pau in 1968, Guillaume de Fonclare was director of the Museum of the Great War at P ronne in the Somme for many years. In 2010 Stock published his first autobiographical essay, Dans ma peau, which won the France T l visions prize for an essay.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: French
• ISBN: 2234074029
• ISBN13: 9782234074026
• Release Date: November 2021
• Publisher: Stock
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 4.7" x 7.5"