Susan Spano Reports From Paris. Well, Sort Of Reports.
Crack travel reporter Susan Spano, "blogging" from Paris, discovers a street named for General Jacques Camou. She is curious. Who is Jacques Camou? She looks in one book. To be fair, the book was separated into two volumes:
To solve these questions, I consulted the two-volume "Dictionnaire Historique des Rues de Paris," by Jacques Hillairet and Pascal Payen-Appenzeller, in the reference section at the American Library in Paris, which happens to be on the Rue du General Camou. It was only marginally de-mystifying about the general, who was born in 1792 and died in 1868, when the street was given his name.
Far be it from Ms. Spano to lift a finger to open, say, a second book, to research it further. Or, gasp!...perchance, hop on Google.fr? Not to worry, Ms. Spano, I'm on the case.
Now, my French isn't the hottest thing in the world, so I may have made some errors translating and summarizing this page from my search on Google.fr. I welcome your corrections.
Jacques Camou was born May 1, 1792, in Sarrance, to a peasant family. They wanted him to become a priest. But, he enlisted in the Army of Aragon, then became a sergeant. When he was just 17 years old, he became a second lieutenant. In 1813, he fought in Italy and was wounded. Then, in 1823, he fought in Spain, as a captain, and was wounded again. Then there’s Algeria, and more Algeria, the guy’s whole life is in the damn army. From 1841 to 1854, he’s still fighting away, and gets promoted from lieutenant-colonel to general of the division, more fighting still. It sounds like the guy spent about every waking moment in the army, only leaving it in 1862, having reached the age limit, then kicking the bucket in 1869. From a letter Le Maréchal Bosquet sends to Camou’s maman after his death: "...Camou is the best type of soldier, the simplest, the bravest, the most well thought of, the most loved...” (In other words, the man was a war machine...early Ahhhnold, with Camembert on the side. Or something like that.)
I guess it's a little uncreative of me to expect that a reporter would actually do some...reporting! Luckily, for our favorite overaged slacker in Paris, the LA Times appears to have stopped printing reader comments; perhaps because so many of them sneer that she might occasionally leave the moneyed womb of the seventh arrondissement and actually do a little reporting. Awwww, but that takes so much woorrrrrrk!
I loved that she was also curious about Blondel. Maybe she was -- er, "doing business" in his eponymous street? About a year ago she was totally convinced that the trannies on display were just beefy women. What a joke she is....
Stu "El Inglés" Harris at August 21, 2005 9:21 AM
I meant to go there and photograph what surely are trannies, but forgot.
research pause:
http://mapquest.fr/cgi-bin/ia_find?uid=u9.cncueq1n2k7ra%3A25h6155f2w&link=btwn%2Ftwn-map_results&SNVData=3mad3-96%2Chr%253brg5yya%253d0bsl6%2Cbb6%257c_%255bu2.ly%255d%2518FD%252bONBLEJ%2512%2524%252bB%2517CJE%2540%252bQ%2512%2540%252b%2519%2514%253a%2528_%253dSC_qry05z%2528ll4b2%253d0%2Crb%253b7%253bb5m-r2qfj5m%253be10h%25284%2Cvkj3m%2528%255b2n%2529az%255d%2514GS%252b%2513%2512QRID%2513%253a%252bHV%2518K%2515%2524%252bB%2517%2524%252bMN&pcat=&MAP_AB_LABELS=&WORK=&map.x=210&map.y=156&mouse_mode=zoomin
Actually, I just looked at Mapquest.fr...in fact, at the end of July, I walked the entire route of rue D'Aboukir, thanks to wrong directions to the luggage repair guy (who's really at 36 rue Montmartre)...then took rue St. Denis back. Also, Lena and I have rented an apartment off rue St. Martin. Sorry, but this neighborhood is the very happy hunting ground for boys who love boys, or girls who look like boys. Perhaps, just like she could only spare the energy to look in one book, she could only spare a single glance, and didn't have what it took to look again for the big, bulging Adam's apples!
Amy Alkon at August 21, 2005 10:21 AM
"The general, who was born in 1792 and died in 1868, when the street was given his name." (La Spano)
When reading this "condensed summary" of General Camou's life, one is left to wonder if the only accomplishment of the general was to be born & then die to have a street given his name...
Thank you Amy for sharing your curiosity with us.
Frania W.
P.S. Spano's readers may all be taking time off in France in the month of August.
Frania W. at August 21, 2005 10:48 AM
Hrrmpphhh, wish I was.
Stu "El Inglés" Harris at August 21, 2005 1:50 PM
For a really excellent update on Paris goings-on, read Adam Gopnik in the current New Yorker.
Of course it would be quite unfair to expect political analysis from what is supposed to be a series of chatty postcards, but Gopnik has plenty of chat-type material too, including:
- The mystery of the Samaritaine department store
- The embarassing premature end to the July 14th fireworks display
- The intriguing prospect of a Rentrée chaude
Stu "El Inglés" Harris at August 23, 2005 7:08 AM
Le miracle de Google: started doing my own research and Advice Goddess blog is now the number one source on Jacques Camou!
Emmanuelle at August 24, 2005 6:41 PM
That's hilarious!
Amy Alkon at August 24, 2005 6:51 PM
I hope my translation was okay. I got a little tired around Algeria.
Amy Alkon at August 24, 2005 6:54 PM
....I just suffered thru a reading of Spano's latest in the Sunday travel section....full of sound, sophisticated and expert advice such as [when dining out in France] 'take a nap in the late afternoon before a big meal'; and my personal favorite....'bathe and dress for dinner, stylishly but comfortably so your stomach can expand'. What class!! What elegance!! What style!!!.......
...Obviously, this idiot is appealing to a gluttonous readership whose concern is more focused on a bloated stomach ......as for their mind expanding, that is an apparent non-issue if they are reading this drivel.
Amities...Une Amie
Une Amie at August 28, 2005 11:04 PM
I am so sad I missed this. Gen Camou is famous for his flage!
I am surprised I must explain such things.
Radwaste at March 30, 2022 6:26 AM
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