At 6 Bis Cité Véron, a narrow street at the end of a cul-de-sac in Paris’s 18th arrondissement, lined with vines just behind the great wings of the Moulin Rouge fluttering over Paris, lies the discreet lair of a giant. From 1954 until his death in 1977, Jacques Prévert (1900-1977) – a poet beloved by schoolchildren – dreamed, loved and wrote songs and screenplays here, welcoming friends as illustrious as Jean Gabin, Pablo Picasso and Alexander Calder. It was here that his photographer friend Robert Doisneau (1912-1994) immortalized the writer and illustrator at his desk.
On the surface, nothing seems to have changed. Yet a harsh letter recently climbed the two flights of stairs, delivered by a court bailiff. The owner of the premises, none other than the Moulin Rouge, has a heritage project in mind that would mean evicting the spirit of Prévert, along with his memories and aura of eternity. The cabaret wants to restore the famous singer and actress Mistinguett (1875-1956) to her rightful place by recreating the original 1920s and 1930s layout of the hall where she once performed. This would require taking back Prévert’s adjoining apartment.
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