“A man goes to stretch and ends up feeling a sharp pain in his arm, it was a ca…”

On November 8, 1935, a boy named Alain was born in a suburb of Paris, about 80 km from Notre Dame. His mother worked as a pharmacist, then as a cashier at a cinema his father opened. When Alain was three, his parents separated. Both remarried, and he ended up with half-siblings. His stepfather owned a butcher shop, and his mother joined him there.

Alain grew up moving between two households—initially this suited him, but eventually, he felt unloved. He had trouble at school, often getting expelled, before training as a butcher. After three months, he switched jobs, served in the army (which helped shape his character), and afterward worked as a waiter.