Philippe Petit Boeken

One night in 1974, a young Frenchman secretly - and illegally - rigged a tightrope between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. At daybreak, he gave the high-wire performance of all time, making eight crossings over the course of an hour, 110 floors up above the earth, as a hundred thousand people gathered on the ground to watch. In To Reach the Clouds, Philippe Petit re-creates a six-year quest to realise his dream, an adventure as thrilling as the walk itself. In an unforgettable memoir he tells the story of how he conspired, connived, improvised, and insisted his way to this 'coup', abetted by a motley crew of accomplices, the occasional miracle, and his own unflagging passion. He reveals himself to be not only a virtuoso of the air but also a bold and inspired performer on the page. Animated by never-seen photographs and Petit's ingenious sketches, To Reach the Clouds is a tour de force of the imagination and a serenade to his beloved towers. 'Philippe Petit planned and executed the perfect crime by walking on a high wire between the twin towers - and the whole world loved him for doing it.' Guy F. Tozzoli, President, World Trade Center Association

The star of MAN ON WIRE offers a meditation on the ecstasy of conquering our fears and reaching for the stars - 'Anyone who has ever tried to do something well, anyone who has ever made personal sacrifices for an art or an idea, will have no trouble understanding what it is about' Paul Auster

In this book Philippe Petit re-creates a six-year quest to realise his dream, in adventure as thrilling as the walk itself. In an unforgettable memoir he tells the story of how he conspired, connived, improvised and insisted his way to this 'coup', abetted by a motley crew of accomplicies, a miracle and his passion.

Revealing new and unconventional ways of going about the artistic endeavor, a master of the impossible, known for his epic 1974 walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, shares strategies and insights for tackling the challenges and possibilities of everyday life.

Le " paroxyton ", c'est l'avant-dernière syllabe, la " pénultième ". Le paroxysme est donc le moment avant-dernier, non pas celui de la fin, mais celui juste avant la fin, juste avant qu'il n'y ait plus rien à dire. Le paroxyste, lui, s'attache aux phénomènes extrêmes, mais ne partage pas l'illusion de la fin. Il vit dans l'imminence de la fin. Il l'utilise comme observatoire, d'où il peut avoir une vue imprenable. Il fait intervenir la fin dans le déroulement même des choses. Il se situe même éventuellement au-delà, façon de sauter par-dessus son ombre. Ni fanatique, ni prosélyte, ni exorciste : juste la violence du paroxysme et le charme discret de l'indifférence. Juste balance entre les extrêmes, juste là où aux confins de l'indifférence. Juste balance entre les extrêmes, juste là où aux confins de l'indifférence brille encore une lueur de désespoir. C'est sans doute aussi la figure de notre monde. J.B

Ein fesselndes Buch, spannender als eine Kriminalgeschichte. Was geht einem Seiltänzer durch den Kopf, während er in 45 Minuten über ein 700m langes Seil vom Pariser Palais de Chaillot bis in die zweite Etage des Eiffelturms läuft? Wie bereitet er ein Abenteuer dieser „Spannweite“ vor?