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George's 90th Birthday
Paris, France
December, 2003
George's 90th Birthday was a blast. We had the party in the bookstore and it was quite a spectacle. Everyone who went dressed as their favorite literary figure. There were Red Riding Hoods, lots of James Joyce's, a few Ginsburg's, and, with thrift in Mind, I went as Che Guevara (Motorcycle Diaries). I already had the green pants, so I went to the big flea market at Clingcourt and got a military jacket, a Che cap and a beard for only 10 Euros. The party was fantastic. We started with many toasts of fine Champagne provided by the guests. Sylvia Whitman, George's Daughter, and a few others gave speeches and then George gave a inspiring speech about the 100 anniversary of Shakespeare and Company in 2019. "Sylvia Beach will still be in Paris running the bookstore", he firmly asserted. Next, George led the crowd in singing the Shakespeare Song and some other great hits like "You Are My Sunshine." During the giving of Presents I gave George the memoirs I had written about our trip the America and Canada the previous summer. During the entire party George kept saying "Where's Ron?" I would be standing next to him, dressed as Che and say, "Right Here." He would look at me, shrug, and then ask the question again. George, the great showman, kept the crowd entertained with his speech, singing and antics. But, he never stays too long so while the party was in full swing, he retired to his room to relax and read, his favorite pastime. A cool part about the party was that the bookstore was open to customers the whole time so many unsuspecting tourists came in, bought some books and had a drink. Let' hope we celebrate in such high fashion for George's 100th.
See photos in Photo Section.
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