Letter; Mitterrand's model

Ms Marie-Claude Angwin
Friday 12 January 1996 00:02 GMT
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From Ms Marie-Claude Angwin

Sir: Why did President Mitterrand call his illegitimate daughter "Mazarine"? Was it because he saw in himself some of the attributes of Cardinal Mazarin?

French statesman ... elegant and subtle, simultaneously flexible and enthusiastic."

(Le Grand Larousse, 1963)

A brilliant administrator, though tortuous ... had many enemies and critics ... was a generous patron of the arts ... worked consistently for the growth of French power and the consolidation of the central authority.

(Everyman's Encyclopaedia, 1985)

Perhaps Mitterrand was aiming too high?

Yours sincerely,

Marie-Claude Angwin

London, W8

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