Читать книгу Utrillo's Children; A Memoir of Paris In 1969 - Robert Ph.D Dick - Страница 3

“The l960s Are Becoming Mythic – This Memoir is One Key to Understanding Them.”

The following is about a young man brought back to life by recall. Memory can be a faulty thing, and sometimes it can't be trusted. Some, who were with me in those days, may even say this is a book of fiction with little connection to the realities of Paris in the late l960s. Yet, I'm reminded of the artist painting an autumn country scene. To get every detail is maddening and you are probably going to fail. But, while mixing your colors and planning your picture, if you can succeed in providing an atmosphere, or a feeling of the season, you're probably going to touch emotional cords of those who see it.

Further, for those of us who hung around the streets, parks and bridges of Paris in the late sixties, the street artist Maurice Utrillo was an inspiration. His life, his art, and his own struggles to find himself seemed to reflect, in some measure, the times and the lives of many of those the reader will meet in the following pages. By the time he was in his early twenties, Utrillo was a failure and an alcoholic, and was becoming estranged from family and friends. He was “dropping out,” and dropping out quickly.

The title, Utrillo's Children, is therefore provocative. It is used to set the stage for a time travel back to an unsettled but exciting period – Paris in l969

R.H. Dick

St. Louis, Missouri, 2012