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Article: The old way of inventing Europe went to its tomb in France lastweek Mitterrand's death brings the building of Europe out of the shadows means Europe must be built His death was a work of art;
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- January 14, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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FRANCOIS Mitterrand taught the French how to die. For several
years, he shared with the French people, in television interviews
or printed dialogues, his experiences and emotions about the
approaching end of his life. He talked about pain and its control,
about the nature of his reluctance to die, about the possibility of
life beyond the grave. (His ironic speculation about what God would
say to him made the deity sound rather like Charles de Gaulle!
"Alors, Mitterrand, vous m'avez vu!").
So when Mitterrand did die, last week, it seemed all according
to plan. Possibly it was; he appears to have decided the moment
with his physician. But he did more than give the French an
example of ...