Remembering Gasner Raymond, a Lifelong Friend

I will not let this summer pass without mentioning my friend Gasner Raymond, murdered 50 years ago in circumstances that were at once bright and mysterious—the longest night of my life. I say bright because this event took place in broad daylight, at noon one day in June 1976. In fact, he died on June 1. The day before, we had been together, as we had been on the preceding days, as we had been every day since our first meeting at Turneb Delpé’s place, at the corner of Saint-Alexandre and Bouzon streets. Upstairs from the shop owned by the pa