Les Envolés by Étienne Kern

 It's a true story the one told by Étienne Kern in his first book Les Envolés

published by Gallimard. 

A true and shocking story under many aspects, that I still didn't know but that it is at the same time immensely sad and interesting. 

You must know that, the first episode of a death immortalized by a camera was the one of the protagonist of this book: Franz Reichelt. The tragedy in Paris, Tour Eiffel Febraury 4th 1912.

This tailor, Etienne reports his story, afforded to Paris, from Austria for working and he built soon a discreet career working close to the L'Opera. 

Frank shared also a second passion: the one for aviation and it will be this one that brought him to death at 33 years. Franz in fact tried to developed a parachute: several times, dropped puppets, without experiencing a great success. Someone suggested him that maybe it was better to move on with the idea of the creation of a parachute seeing the poor results. What temped him so badly was a prize launched by an association of aviation. Franz could not help himself: he would have tried again and this time parachuting himself from the Tour Eiffel!

That 4 febraury 1912 was very cold, so there wasn't a big crowd of people: yes, of course there were several journalists, and someone filmed what happened to Franz. 

For sure, everyone tried to save the existence of Franz. In particular, when they understood that there wouldn't be any puppets and Franz would have experimented on himself the drop with that big parachute.

People tried also to stop Franz limiting the access to the Tour Eiffel, but nothing, nothing stopped him. He repeated: "Je tiens à l’existence, et je ne tenterais pas l’aventure si j’avais le plus petit doute sur le succès": I did treasure his existence; I wouldn't never risk if it wouldn't be a success.

Etienne with great sensibility writes reporting the final moments of the existence of Franz on the Tour Eiffel underlining that, before the fatal drop, there was still the possibility of a different end: "J’aimerais te laisser là-haut. Au moment où rien n’est écrit" I would want to leave you there. In a moment still undefined, where nothing is written yet" writes Etienne.

The final words that Franz pronounced were, à bientôt! see you soon! and then, great smile on his face, the drop: he died of a horrible death; eyes were petrified by horror, he was broken everywhere: autoptic exams revealed that he died for a heart attack, while he was falling: once arrived on the ground he was dead.

Etienne writes: "Sur Internet, tu occupes une bonne place au palmarès des morts les plus stupides de l’histoire" On the net, you occupy a good space, speaking about the palmares of the silliest departures of all the history. 

Etienne has written a book plenty of delicacy, tenderness, using extreme respect and trying to understand Franz: wishing, at the same time, a writer can just does it, a different end.

Long 150 pages, this book genuine, delicate, compassionate. The tale of Franz's life, brief existence, reminds us the importance of living with great intensity our dreams, adding a bit of caution, sometimes. 

Highly recommended.

I thank the author for the copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori