That is, roughly, how many bottles of
perfume were left in storage in France when I moved to Canada this winter
because there was no way, short of Fedexing dozens of boxes for thousands of
dollars, that I could get my collection overseas… So amid the sorting, the
selling, the discarding of decades of Parisian life – an archaeological dig
through every person I’ve been, persona I’ve taken on, failed intentions and heart-rending
memories, sheaves of manuscripts, all the books that have composed the biography
of my mind, trifling objects charged with the mana of past lives… I’ve
had to choose which perfumes I could take with me. In the rush of the move,
there seemed to be no time to think. No considered pondering of what would best
suit my new life in different country, which memories I couldn’t tear myself
away from, which references I couldn’t do without. I had to choose
instinctively, swiftly, the 60 or so perfumes that could fit into the boxes we
shipped to Canada or in my suitcases. I did have some idea that away from Paris, and with a
smaller collection, I would finally get to enjoy all those almost-full bottles
more fully. But why those especially, I ask myself as I gaze upon the ones that
made it across the Atlantic?
That is one the reasons I’ve decided to
revive this blog, over four years after writing a last post about another, far
worse bereavement. As I reexplore this smaller collection salvaged from the panicked
sorting of my humongous loot, I hope to reacquaint myself with the pleasure of
writing about fragrance just for the love of it (and of writing). Perhaps also,
and that is another intention, I hope to explore the culture of scent in Canada
through the people who bring it alive. Hence the new subtitle of this
(bilingual) blog, in French because there is no possible translation: (Se) sentir
au Canada, which both means “feeling you’re in Canada” and “Smelling in Canada”.
I promise it won’t all be about maple syrup.
L'actu 
Articles
Yes! I had stopped hoping for this. Very excited to read you again
RépondreSupprimerDN
Thank you. I'm feeling a bit rusty, but I hope I'll be up to the task.
SupprimerSuper welcome back. Missed ready you very much.
RépondreSupprimerThank you. It's touching to think I'm still remembered after what seems like a century in online years!
SupprimerJe me souviens qu'il y a plus de deux ans, moi aussi, je suis confronté à la même difficulté (probablement pas la même mais moindre) que vous : ayant vécu 4 ans à Paris et accumulé presque 200 flacons de parfum, j'ai dû quitter la ville et tenter de tout ramener en Chine (et en pleine pandémie !!!). J'ai dû me séparer de quelques dizaines de flacons parce que c'était simplement impossible. Quelle épreuve ! J'ai quand même pu emporter avec moi environ 110 flacons bien cachés dans 4 valises, sans me faire arrêter à la douane !
RépondreSupprimerQuelle épreuve, n'est-ce pas? Je me revois encore en train d'emballer les délaissés... En espérant qu'un jour ils me rejoignent!
SupprimerBonjour,
RépondreSupprimerquel plaisir de vous revoir! Surtout que votre blog est l'un des rares derniers qui soit encore accessible sur le net, dans ses archives. Il m'arrive régulièrement de relire ça ou là une chronique ancienne écrite il y a dix ans ou plus, quand je mets tel parfum un peu délaissé que je remets et veux relire ce que vous aviez écrit. Vous n'imaginez pas combien vous avez pu imprimer votre imaginaire et votre prose dans le quotidien de vos lecteurs. C'est donc un réel plaisir que vous repreniez dans la mesure du possible votre plume, tout en vous ménageant
A vous lire
Ilan
Ilan, votre commentaire me touche beaucoup! Mes obligations professionnelles m'ont obligée à prendre une pause, mais j'espère pouvoir reprendre mon écriture personnelle plus régulièrement désormais.
SupprimerLooking forward to reading your posts in real time instead of your archive 😀 Loved your book and the perfume that was the catalyst.
RépondreSupprimerThank you! In the interval I"ve had a number of thoughts I hope to develop here as I revisit my collection.
RépondreSupprimerTrès heureuse de vous relire Denise. J’ai délaissé le monde du parfum, mais c’est avec un plaisir toujours renouvelé que je vous relis. Merci pour cette bonne surprise. Votre plume et votre univers m’ont manqué.
RépondreSupprimerLe monde du parfum tel que je le conçois va au-delà du parfum, et j'espère vous y retrouver! Merci de vos mots.
SupprimerOh how happy I am your blogging days are back! I always enjoy reading the process you take understanding each perfume. Typing in your url feels like running into an old friend.
RépondreSupprimerI'm worried I'll have the same problem as you when I move in the next few years (hopefully to join the fragrance industry). My collection is probably about the same as yours; I've started calling it an archive as that feels more accurate!
Anyway, I'm glad to read on about what you've kept, and what new perfumes you find.
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RépondreSupprimerThank you so much for this wonderful post and all the best for your future.
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It raises so many questions about what these scents represent and how they connect to our senses. After pondering such a thought-provoking concept, a quick round of slope unblocked is a great way to clear the mind and recharge!
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