Jean-Michel Espitallier's Star-Studded Biography in artpress 2

The latest issue of artpress 2, number 26, titled 'MAC/VAL: Ce que l'art fait à la littérature' (August/September/October 2012), features a playful biographical portrait of French poet Jean-Michel Espitallier. The article traces his life from birth on October 4, 1957—coinciding with the launch of Sputnik I—through a series of celebrity encounters. Espitallier's family connections include a distant relation to heldentenor Ramon Vinay and a great-great-uncle who was a baker for Hollywood studios in the 1920s. His childhood in Saint-Paul-de-Vence and Nice brought him near Yves Montand, Fernand Raynaud, and Tino Rossi. Later, he danced his first slow with the niece of Léon Zitrone, waved at Sophia Loren on the Croisette, and stood outside Paul McCartney's London home. The article lists dozens of stars he encountered, including Carlos Santana, David Bowie, Patti Smith, and Serge Gainsbourg. In 1984, he moved to Paris, worked at Gallimard, and telephoned René Char and Francis Ponge. He also brushed shoulders with politicians like Dominique de Villepin, Nicolas Hulot, and Arnaud Montebourg. Espitallier left publishing in 2002 and now lives in the same neighborhood as Thierry Lhermitte, Lou Doillon, and Gustave Kervern, maintaining a low profile despite his extensive network of famous acquaintances.