When Gérard was nearing the end of his life, we were able to have a short discussion on the phone about his book and the publishers I had suggested. Poor Gérard was in a lot of pain then and found it quite difficult to speak, but he was most anxious to know about the foreign rights, especially French and Japanese, because of where he was best known. This attention to detail and determination (hidden by his enormous charm) were absolutely typical of his exceptional character.
