You Can't Be Serious When You're 60

Madeleine Melquiond debunks the clichés about senior citizens, the advisors of all kinds who claim to tell sexagenarians what to do, and delivers a portrait of herself and retirees that is as funny as it is moving. She shows that people in their sixties are no longer old people, but adults at last in a relaxed frame of mind, whom society should respect rather than infantilize. She encourages all those who do not accept being judged unproductive because they have passed the retirement age to make their diverse and uninhibited voices heard, and not to fall prey to "marketing for seniors." Born in 1945, Madeleine Melquiond holds an agrégation in history and geography and is a graduate of the ENS. After a career as a journalist and teacher, she turned to writing. She has already published Longtemps j’ai vécu avec une bouteille (Albin Michel, 2008), and contributes to Verso magazine and La revue des cent voix. She also takes part in writing and read-aloud workshops.