N°4 - april 2008

Martin Hofer

Today again, Martin could walk through the door into the office and come say hi, like he always did when he came back to Cannes. And he did come back often. The destination was a familiar one for this young Austrian from Graz ever since his parents brought him on vacation to the Côte d’Azur when he was only three years old. It was here that he developed a taste for the sights and sounds of southern France, and it’s only natural that he chose the Collège International in order to learn French. A little two-week stay in 1995, then another for three months, and finally a stint as a boursier in 1997. It’s true that he made an impression on us, not only for his rapid progress, but also for his curiosity of others and the world, an insatiable curiosity fueled by his travels that he made often to foreign countries, Japan in particular.

It’s also in Japan that he decided to continue his studies, and it’s there that in February 2002 that he had to be hospitalized after a bout of memory loss. After eight weeks of care in Graz, he seemed to be completely rehabilitated and returned to Japan. But on November 6, 2002, he committed suicide, a terrible shock for his family and friends and an inconsolable burden. This young man of 25 had such a love of life, was so talented, and took so much joy in accomplishing whatever he set out to do.

Martin will no longer open the door to our office because of a strange illness that caused him to take his life for a reason we cannot understand.