At 61, this is his first book.
Throughout the 500 pages, Florent Pagny delivers himself as never before, taking care to put the events in the context of the time.
From his modest childhood in the 1960s in Burgundy and Haute-Savoie to his arrival in Paris at the age of fifteen where he slept in the Salvation Army, he always showed a steely mind.
With common sense and humour, he analyzes his past, each failure and each success.
The only slightly squeaky passages are for Vanessa Paradis with whom he lived for three very media-friendly years and for the diva Jessye Norman described as “odious”.
Having little taste for writing and not being a reader, Florent Pagny confided in the novelist, screenwriter and songwriter, Emmanuelle Cosso.
They had long conversation sessions from December 2020 to February 2023. Emmanuelle Cosso, who is also a close friend (she was long married to Kad Merad, one of Florent Pagny's best friends), managed to put it on stage and restore its tone.
Throughout the pages, we really hear him confide.
The only point on which he remains discreet is that of his heritage.
Read alsoFlorent Pagny: "I never think about my cancer, I talk about it but I don't ruminate on it"
Since 2012, when the hits became less numerous, it is
The Voice
with a total cachet estimated between 5 and 10 million euros which represents the bulk of its income.
The discovery of his cancer in January 2022 disrupted the process of working on the book.
After the shock, Florent Pagny's schedule has become very medical.
Without ever complaining, he worked tirelessly on his autobiography.
The parts where he evokes many loved ones who died of cancer and specifies the names of his doctors were written before he knew he was sick.
Pagny
by Florent
, Florent Pagny and Emmanuelle Cosso, 500 pages, Fayard editions, €24.50
