Olivier de Kersauson
A life in retro
In a testament-like story, the 80-year-old sailor and writer looks back on his navigations, his encounters, happiness and anger.
On land and at sea, he remains in charge. If the crossings and the records are now behind him, the headwinds still blow sometimes. But he knows how to tame them like no one else. For Paris Match, Olivier de Kersauson finally agrees to talk about his love story with Florence Arthaud, on the occasion of the publication, on November 21, of “Before memory fades. Some maritime remarks. His 24th book, already! As they say at “Les tontons flingueurs”: “It’s curious, among sailors, this need to make sentences…” For him, who even speaks in Alexandrian, writing is second nature. A way to enhance your taste for solitude.
Interview Marie-Laure DELORME
Beyrouth
The martyrdom of the Hoshesh building
On October 10, in the Basta district, a strike gutted this building, killing 17 people. We retraced their destinies.
Touched to the heart. Until then, the fire from Israel was limited to the southern suburbs of the capital, a Hezbollah stronghold. But the war broke out in the center of the city. These bombings remain the deadliest carried out in Beirut itself, two months after the outbreak of a bogged-down conflict. And whose human toll is getting worse every day. Since the start of the clashes, at least 76 Israelis have been killed. On the Lebanese side, more than 3,480 dead. Among them, the inhabitants of the destroyed building, reduced to mere numbers. Paris Match has found their name and tells you their story.
Reportage Arthur SARRADIN
Dominique Pelicot and François Vérove
The faces of evil
Between “le Grêlé” and the monster of Mazan, similar routes and many points in common. Enough to challenge the investigators of the “cold case” pole.
Convinced that the paths of the two men crossed, the criminal squad decided to bring them together on the same forensic photographic board to present it to witnesses or potential victims. The indictment of Dominique Pelicot, four years ago, for the abuse committed against his wife, opened a Pandora’s box. All-purpose profiles, similar life trajectories, possibly identical operating methods… Would the monster of Mazan be as dangerous as François Vérove, the police officer responsible for at least three murders and numerous rapes who committed suicide in 2021? Trails are reopening.
Story Stéphane BOUCHET and Florence BROIZAT
Grandpa Paul was a former Gestapo
In his village, Paul Pradier was appreciated by everyone. But when he died, at the age of 94, his sinister past resurfaced.
At retirement age, he wears a sky-blue polo shirt. But at 19, he could have adopted the brown shirt. With his warm demeanor and his Southern accent, this little gentleman had everything to please. Apart from a heavy collaborationist past which he will have hidden even in the grave. Zealous agent of the Sipo-SD, the information service of the Gestapo, he participated in the hunt for dozens of Jews and resistance fighters, then sent to their death. Sentenced to life in prison, he was finally released for “good behavior”, before living incognito in Vendée. Investigation into a collaborator who, from his release from prison in 1955 to his death in 2018, deceived his people.
Story Arnaud BIZOT
