Maison natale de Bernard Dimey

It was in this little house that Bernard Dimey was born on 16 July 1931 to a father who was a chiseller and a mother who was a hairdresser. As we move on to the next stage, let's take a look at the main episodes in his life.
At the age of fifteen, his first poems were published in "Les Cahiers Haut Marnais". In 1947, he entered the Ecole Normale in Troyes. He graduated as a teacher, but gave up this profession to devote himself to painting under the pseudonym Zelter, and above all to literature. This period was particularly rich in writing: novels, short stories, plays, radio scripts, etc.
At the age of 25, he did his military service in Paris. His leave took him to Montmartre. He assiduously frequented "le Pichet du Tertre", a cabaret that was a meeting place for artists. His weariness at being turned down by publishers and his need to survive led him to write numerous poems. Many were set to music by Francis Lai. So it was that he supplied the stars in search of new songs: around 80 performers including Charles Aznavour, Mouloudji, Serge Reggiani, Jean Ferrat, Zizi Jeanmaire, Juliette Gréco...
He settled permanently in Montmartre in 1959 and became a local figure among artists, painters, writers, shopkeepers and residents from all walks of life. His poems became masterpieces, including "Syracuse", set to music by Henri Salvador in 1962.
Just as he was about to turn 50, he died of cancer on 1 July 1981. A child of Nogent, it is in the cutlery town that he will be buried. "I wrote nearly 1,000 songs [.] but perhaps only two will remain if posterity remembers them: "Mémère" and "Syracuse"; as I would like that to be: I would die happy".

Today, every year, the town of Nogent pays tribute to him by organising a festival synonymous with reunions and encounters. As well as the concerts, the Festival Dimey is one of the events you'll want to come to for the quality of the line-up and the friendly atmosphere. You'll have the pleasure of discovering new talent, and the satisfaction of meeting up with music fans from other parts of France.