While in Paris last fall, I was strolling through the cemetery when I serendipitously crossed paths with Benoît Gallot, Conservator of Père-Lachaise. He is in charge of shepherding the spirits of both the living and the dead at Père-Lachaise, and lives with his wife and four children in an apartment on the grounds.
Coincidentally, I had just purchased his debut book, La vie secrète d’un cimetière (The Secret Life of a Cemetery) the night before. I stopped and introduced myself, as well as mentioning a mutual friend, Marie Beleyme, a noted historian of the cemetery who consulted on both our books. Published by Les Arènes, Gallot’s book is in French, sold on Amazon, and can be found in bookstores throughout Paris. An English translation will be published by Greystone Books in Canada, the United States and England in spring, 2025.
Benoît said he knew my name and my book City of Immortals (mark me surprised and humbled), plus he had seen me on TV the day before. It had been All Saints’ Day (la Toussaint), and I was visiting the tomb of Héloïse and Abelard when a crew from French TV Ch 3 asked if they could interview me.