What my father taught me
Photos Droits réservés
Words Matthieu Morge-Zucconi
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We asked different men to tell us about what they have learned from their fathers.
Your father has doubtlessly taught you much of what you know today. It’s a father's role to share his life experience with his children, which you will subsequently be able to hand down to your own kids. At Horace, we attach particular importance to this advice and knowledge, which is handed down from father to son. For Father's Day, on Sunday June 18, we asked a number of men to tell us about what their father has taught them.
Gauthier Borsarello, artistic director of Holiday
"Ever since I was a kid, growing up in a family of six children, I was the only one who got up early on Sunday morning to go with my father to our two favourite flea markets: Seine-Port and Porte de Vanves. There, my dad explained to me how to identify the different styles of furniture from the 18th, 19th and beginning of the 20th century, by pointing out all the characteristics that define a specific style. For as long as I live, I will never forget these moments that taught me so much about art, furniture and relationships with merchants and antique dealers."
Olivier T., journalist
"In my family, beards are passed down from generation to generation. It was my father who taught me how to trim a beard and insisted on the fact that I should never stop at the jugular vein in order to avoid looking like I have a double chin. He also explained what the offside rule was at Parc Lescure in Bordeaux. However, I’m not sure that I should thank him for that!"
Alexandre Thomas, consultant
"Aside from having given me a rather dubious sense of humour and a passion for the smallest details in Tintin's adventures, my father also passed down a fascination for nature. In particular, he enjoyed taking me birdwatching and teaching me their songs as well as the names of plants and trees. I now know which plant to use on an insect bite or nettle burn, thanks to him.
This is some of the knowledge that I'm trying to pass down to my daughter today. She knows which mushrooms are edible, and can recognise the difference between a green woodpecker and a spotted woodpecker, which is a bit more discreet, both physically and in its drumming!"
Vadim Poulet, strategic planner
"My father obviously taught me the basics, such as how to iron my shirts and tie a necktie. But most importantly, I discovered running thanks to him. When I was 15, we ran together in Tuscany, covering the ten kilometres that separated us from the beach. I then began to practice athletics. And today, I still run three times a week.”
Lionel, public policy manager at Amazon Web Servicest
"My father showed me how to shave correctly in order to avoid cutting myself. Despite this skill, I nonetheless decided to grow a beard. This doubtlessly stems from a spirit of contradiction. He also taught me the value of hard work and effort, as he had come here from Tunisia without a penny to his name to study medicine.
Above all, he loved beautiful cars. I particularly remember summers driving through France in a Lada. This love of mechanics and beautiful objects is also what I’m trying to pass on to my son (as well as being kind to others and not eating with your fingers, of course)."
Marc Briant-Terlet, cofounder at Horace
"My father passed down his love of sports, from football and tennis to boxing and basketball. I not only watched, but played every sport possible, and still have a drive for performance and team spirit deeply embedded in me. In fact, even individual sports can be considered as team sports, because a player is nothing without a coach.”
Matthieu Morge-Zucconi, editor-in-chief at Horace
"My father briefly explained to me how to shave and always - more or less - let me do what I wanted with my hair. He passed down his love of traveling and discovery. Thanks to him, I have developed an immense appreciation for the great American novelists (and hence, a love for reading) as well as the 'London Calling' album by the Clash. As a child he taught me how to swim an almost perfect crawl and, more recently, how to paddle-board. I have to say that these skills are quite useful in the summer!"