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| Page Views: 504 | Memoirs of a “soixante-huitard”, part one. by F_Meignant - last update: Feb 24, 2004 |
Found some old pictures when classifying papers...
De vieux souvenirs qui reviennent!
Longwy (Lorraine, France), May 1968…
How to participate at what you think to be a “revolution” when you’re a young guy from the local bourgeoisie? My father is a director. Most of my friends’ parents are workers in steel factories and mines. Hard life for them: small wages, killing schedules. Killing factories. Really.
Father is furious. I pretend to be something like a Trotskyist or a Maoist.
Actually nothing at all.
Just like a lot of young French guys of that time: only doing whatever could worry the parents and the “Général” (de Gaulle, who was our President: not bad in foreign affairs, “un con” for internal ones…)
Funny period: barricades, throwing all kind of things on the “forces de l’ordre”, crying with tear-gas, discovering jails and beating up by policemen (ribs hardly resist to hobnailed shoes), political meetings ….
Nous refaisons le monde. Idéalistes. |
|  | Falling in love... End of 1968…Met Brigitte in a party.
It stopped my political commitment for a while.
Other things to deal with. More interesting than revolution. She is 16 and I am 18.
The picture is from summer 1969. That’s my first time at her parents’ summer house in Moulins (Auvergne, France).
Secretly camping around… |
| | Explorations... Picture from spring 1970, Moulins.I’m studying medicine at Reims (Champagne).
Discovering life instead of attending classes.
Exploring Verlaine, Rimbaud, Mallarmé and Dadaism in crazy bars of Paris. With funny friends. Pas fréquentables, les amis.
Like Verlaine, Rimbaud, Mallarmé and Tzara after all. With less talents.
Exploring Romanesque architecture too. Much more sober than the poets.
Medicine is not my cup of tea. I would have preferred “Beaux Arts”… but parents said “NO”. Children didn’t have choice at that time. |
| | Peace and Love... Summer 1971 at Moulins.Hippie period… Peace and Love. And flowers. Marrant...!
I have been studying medicine for 2 years and finally, I said: “NO”. Times had quickly changed. Parents accepted it.
But I could not negotiate for “Beaux Arts”: not enough politically correct for an upper-middle-class boy!
I’m now studying accounting, economics and law instead.
That’s politically correct.
And terribly boring if you want my advice.
But according to the theory, when you want to fight against a system, it’s better to do it from inside...
I did.
Finances… LOL! |
| Brigitte et la Traction... 1971. |
| | Old car... On the road between Longwy and Reims.The picture is from end 1971, the girl from 1952 and the car from 1953.
Great car: a Traction Citroën, “11 familiale”. But terribly thirsty: 23 litres of petrol for 100 km.
I have no driving license yet (shall only get it in 1976: not really interested) so, Brigitte drives.
And friends. We are all spending our pocket money in petrol. Just for a drive in this fabulous car…
In January 2004, I bought another Traction, from 1952. The same year than Brigitte. I offered it to her for our 30th “anniversaire de mariage”. Souvenirs…! |
| | Squatting... Longwy, cold winter 1971.Brigitte’s parents are in holidays. Skiing. We are squatting in their house with some friends…
Short days, long nights! Playing a game called “Picol’s dames”. A kind of draughts where the checkers are replaced by glasses of alcohol… A stupid game where you can loose your mind.
Some did.
I didn’t. Maybe because I have no mind. |
| | Duennas... Somewhere in Germany, spring 1972.A short trip with my parents in the role of the duennas, Brigitte in the role of the infant and me as the good “child”.
Nothing before wedding… Parents’ illusions. Poor parents. Unthinkable nowadays. Very French 70’s…! |
| | Wedding... September 1973. We’re married…The picture was taken during some friends’ wedding. We are just married since a few weeks.
Studying hard… finally!
Becoming serious: in charge of a family. |
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 Comments for F_Meignant about World | | | | |
matcrazy1 Fri Oct 9, 2009 18:47 UTC
Happy birthday to you and next fascinating travels for you! And you are very welcome for Euromeet 2010 in Krakow, Poland :-)))! | ATLC Thu Oct 9, 2008 07:48 UTC
A new Bon Anniversaire, Francois. Hope you will see this and that we've not forgotten you. Les meilleurs voeux! | titti Wed Oct 10, 2007 04:20 UTC
Auguri Francois! | sim1 Tue Oct 9, 2007 16:46 UTC
Happy Birthday Francois, to where ever you might be. You might not log in anymore, but you are certainly not forgotten. |
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