Carpe diem

In 2004, in the heart of Paris at Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, a profound chapter unfolded. Carpe diem, often dismissed as a cliché, took on new meaning when I encountered François LeGoff. Perched atop a staircase, he exuded sorrow. Acting on impulse, I joined him, bridging our linguistic gap. Though words failed, he shared poignant images from the 1940s of him and his wife. After our brief encounter, François walked away, but the indelible image of that moment remains etched in my mind.

Once Back home, I sent François portraits I had taken of him and an image from Versailles. The photos were my silent reply. François reciprocated with a beautiful Parisian book and a letter, the contents of which eluded me. Last May 2023, revisiting his wife’s grave stirred deep emotions. Discovering that François had joined her three short years after our encounter weighed heavy on my heart. 

Fast forward to March 2024, and as I revisited images from our last trip, I felt a compelling urge to retrieve the long-forgotten letter once again. Translating his long-lost letter, I wished I had unraveled its sentiments sooner. There is so much I would have loved to have known about François. This serendipitous tale serves as a poignant reminder of the transformative power of fleeting connections and the profound lessons embedded in the essence of carpe diem.

My special thanks to Marie-France Levesque and Laurent Humbert for taking special care in translating Françoise’ letter for me.

A letter from François

Dear Evan,

It is with great pleasure and happiness that I am receiving these four wonderful photographs of us through your professional website. It was a perfect success!

It is such a rare circumstance to have been at “Au Pére la Chaise” Cemetery, where I go to pray every day at the crematorium box #6808, where I go to pray for my dear wife, Julia, who passed away 2/25/96 after 60 years of happy marriage, this box, where I will join her when I pass.

And while I was sitting down, praying is when I saw you near the stairway looking at a map of the cemetery. I thought you were looking for dead celebrities and we came to talk about Isadora Duncan, my wife’s next-door neighbor to her box. And I spoke to you about the end of my career at insurance of London, where I ended my career with the national Marine, and we befriended each other. I showed you a few photos, we talked, and with your genius, these pictures you have taken gave such beautiful results.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and please receive my infinite gratitude,

François