Francis OGER #211
Letters to the Editor
from
Francis OGER
in CMO #211
@ . . . . Dear Masatsugu, Presently, I am living alone, and my address is:
OGER Francis, 6 rue Gustave Rovanet, 75.018 Paris, France. (Tel.: 33.1.44.92.93.39)
As I am living in Paris, I am preparing to become one of the presenters of the 15cm refractor of the SAF at the top of Sorbonne University. As the place is quite small, only 5 persons can attend the presentation at the same time, instead of 50 in Fukui.
Indeed, last Monday, I did the presentation for the first time, but the sky was cloudy, and I could only show the place and the instruments. I wish I could do as well as you did last summer in Fukui. So often, we have to cancel the presentation, especially in winter, because of bad weather.
I heard that the Leon meteoric swarms were splendid in Japan, but somebody also told me that the weather was bad in Fukui at that time. Did you manage to see them? In Paris, the weather was nice. Following the forecast of many astronomers, I went to some remote suburbs of Paris on Tuesday evening, but I saw nothing since it was finished the day before.
Recently, I saw "Kanzo Sensei" from Shohei Imamura. Last year, I saw "Unagi", which won the "palme d'or" prize in the Cannes Festival.
I felt nostalgia when I saw the beautiful landscapes and heard the "semi" in the film. I just thought "oisii" when Doctor Akagi took a "daikon" in a field and ate it immediately. I also felt immediate sympathy for the girl in the story, who is swimming so well.
It is terrible to think that people are unable to live quietly in such a beautiful nature. Instead, they create terrible things like pollution, war, torture, prostitution. I think it good that Imamura reminds us of these old events, as people throughout the world always tend to do the same things.
On the other hand, I suppose that the reference to whale fishing may be difficult to accept in western countries, even though it is a part of Japanese tradition, because the attitude of Japan concerning that problem is criticized.
I very much hope that I can see you again next year especially during the August Sun eclipse.
I wish a happy new year to you, Murakami-san, and all your friends of CMO.
(29 Dec 1998)
@ . . . . Chere Madame Minami, Je souhaite vous remercier a nouveau pour tout ce qui vous et votre mari avez fait pour moi pendent mon sejour a Fukui.
J'ai ainsi pu decouvrir de neveaux aspects de la nature et des traditions du Japon, notamment a travers ses maisons anciennes. J'ai aussi apprecie la baignade dans l'eau pure des rochers d'Oshima, ou vous m'averz accompagne, au risque d'abimer vos belles chaussures. Enfin, j'ai ete heureux de decouvrir votre interet pour la civilisation francaise, a travers la vie et l'oeuvre de Simone de Beauvoir.
J'aurai beaucoup de plaisir a votre revoir, notamment si vous venez a Paris pour l'eclipse de soleil d'aout 1999, ainsi que Monsieur Minami semblait l'envisager.
Je vous adresse mes meilleurs voeux pour l'annee nouvelle.
P.S. Vous m'aviez indique que Monsieur Minami s'appretait a passer l'examen du permis de conduire. Je n'ai pas encore ase lui demander le resultat, ayant moi-meme echoue il y a quelques annees.
(29 Dec 1998)
Francis OGER ( Paris, France ) oger@logique.jussieu.fr