Metropole Paris:- Monday, 24. February 1997:- Readers letters give me an idea of how you collectively think about this job I have. You don't think it is a job at all.

It pains me that everybody believes this, and there is not much I can do about it because as usual, truth is strange. This is how I got the job:

I was at a point somewhere near dead zero. To engage the clutch, to get through the first turn of the wheel - to launch - anything - I lacked something vital but I didn't know what it was.

A long time ago I read an amusing book about a Hollywood writer, who, after having several hit movies to his credit, fell into a deep slump. These are not highly regarded in that town and once it is perceived that you are in one, you have the plague and nobody will return calls or ever be in. You may as well be in Nebraska as by your swimming pool in your garden overlooking the Pacific at Pompano Beach.

Finally this writer hit upon the idea of giving the impression that he was not, in fact, in a slump. He was broke from supporting a life-style beside the pool; he had a big house, expensive cars, belonged to clubs, had a sizeable boat and had, of course, the very large pool that was very expensive to maintain as you will know if you've got one at the moment.

He let it be known that he had so little worry in the world, that he ordered a second very large swimming pool to be built; and construction commenced on it.

A week after the word was out, he was involved in a serious project with good people and for good money. It looked so good in fact, that he would be able dump the house disfigured by two swimming pools, and get a larger and nicer one. One with a smaller and more affordable pool.

Instead of a swimming pool, I sprung for a digital camera by mail-order. Instead of waiting for it to come through the post, I went to the mail-order place and picked it up as it came in the door from the distributor's. On the way home in the métro, I saw signs announcing that year's Salon du Livre.

The next day I tried the camera out on the village here, and it worked fine. I thought the software was dubious, but it worked too, with hiccups. That night I did a little Web surfing and came across Norman Barth's 'The Paris Pages,' and as he had a place to write to him, I did - offering a report on the book show.

Norman immediately wrote back and said there was no money in it but if I wanted to go ahead, he's probably take the stuff. He also asked me to include the program for the salon.

On St. Patrick's Day 1995 I went all the way to the Porte de Versailles. I had never been at this salon before - and very few others - and I had no idea of where to start. I picked up the program from the press office and took some random photos and staggered home with 43 kilos of paper after spending hours there talking to people on the stands.

To some people St. Patrick's Day is very serious and a great deal of this serious took place at my apartment that night, and I think I may have photos of it still - because some of them came out. By the time the last guest staggered out around 01:30, I was ready to start my reporting - the whole program! - and do the photos.

Oh horror! All the salon photos were pitch black when unloaded onto the hard disk. The St. Patrick's crazed photos, okay; new career 'salon' photos, pure garbage.

I fiddled, I fussed, I re-installed the software, I re-read the user manual; but in the end I had to take these digital files that looked like close-ups of tar, and turn them into 'photos' that resembled the interior on an underground garage as seen through sunglasses. The salon program was a nightmare to re-write and it took hours. For a final dot on the 'i' I got to send photos through the Internet for the first time, which required yet more user-manual reading.

Norman took it all and put it online as soon as he got it. And he kept on doing it for about 10 months until Metropole started.

This issue marks the 53rd weekly edition of Metropole. This issue makes Metropole one year old. Today is Metropole's birthday.

I hope you can stick around to find out whether Metropole reaches its second anniversary.

The Resistance Plays in Berlin

If you are reading this today, try and find a TV program that is showing the prize ceremony at the 47th Berlin Film Festival this evening. The French film, 'Lucie Aubrac' was shown about 22:00 on Thursday night and when it was over, the 700-odd in the audience applauded for a good ten minutes.

The film, by Claude Berri, and starring Carole Bouquet, Daniel Auteuil and Patrice Chéreau, recounts the war-time history of Lucie and Raymond Aubrac, who were also present in the audience Thursday night.

In Lyon in March 1943, the couple were members of the resistance against the Nazi occupation. On 21. June, Raymond was arrested at Calure, at Dr. Dugoujon's, along with Jean Moulin. Condemned to death, Lucie organized Raymond's escape.

This episode is also described in her book, 'Ils Partiront Dans l'Ivresse,' recently re-issued by Editions du Seuil. On Thursday, after the official screening, Lucie, now 84, was invited onstage by the director as were the lead actors in the film.

According to a TV-news report about the film and about the actual events, one of those present that night of 21. June 1943 was a traitor, and to this day nobody is certain who it was.

Actual Events

C'etait le Paris des Années 50 is an exhibition located in the reception hall of the Paris City Hall - Mairie de Paris - Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, Paris 4. For information, tel.: 01 42 76 40 40. (See this week's poster.)

A la Recherche de Vos Ancêtres Parisiens. The place to start this is at the Archives de Paris, from now until 30. June, from 9:30 to 17:00 except Sundays and Monday mornings. Archives de Paris, 18. Boulevard Sérurier, Paris 19. For information, tel.: 01 53 72 41 23.

Some Coming Events

This is the big show that brings the countryside to Paris, not that it is all that far away. Regional specialties, many animals, some straw, and an awful lot to see - as well as eat and drink. From now until Sunday, 2. March. Daily; 10:00 to 19:00. Extended hours Saturday, 1. March: 10:00 to 22:00. Paris-Expo, Porte de Versailles.