Umculi ogqwesileyo waseFransi wazalwa ngowe-1915 kwintsapho ye-acrobat kunye nomdlali ongaphumelelanga. U-Edith Giovanna Gassion wayengengomntwana okhanga kakhulu kwaye kungekudala unina wamshiya, kunye noyise (acrobat) wayephambi kwelo xesha. Emva kokuba ebuyele ekhaya, wafunda ukuba intombi yakhe yayihlala edidekile apho kwaye kunye nabo. Le ntombazana yayiphila kwiimeko ezingafanelekanga, kwaye engazange i-meshavlazroslym, ebisi layo ixesha elide lathela utswala. Uyise ka-Edith wathatha intombi yakhe waza wathumela unina eNormandy, unina wayesebenza njengompheki kwi-brothel.
Kwaye kwindlu kawonkewonke yaza yaziwa ukuba intombazana yayimfama, ngoko kukunceda ugogo wakhe aye kwindlu yeendwendwe aze athandazele ukuba abuyele umzukulu wakhe, kwaye, o, ummangaliso, amehlo ka-Edith. Xa uneminyaka engama-6, intombazana yaqala ukubona, ekugqibeleni yaya esikolweni, kodwa yayeka ukufunda esikolweni sayo, kuba abazali bakhe babengafuni ukumbona intombazana evela kwi-brothel kufuphi nabantwana bayo. Emva koko, utata uthatha intombazana eParis, apho ebudeni bentombazana yakhe yavuma.
Ubomi kunye noyise behluke kubomi kwi-brothel, uyise wayedla ngokutshintsha iindlovu zakhe, intombazana i-roslasama yedwa, kwaye ngezikhathi ezithile, xa wayelinxila, yambetha uEdith. Intombazana yaqonda ukuba kwakufuneka ihambe endlwini ngokukhawuleza. Ngomnyaka we-1932, eneminyaka eyi-17 ubudala, waqhelana noyise wentombi yakhe uLouis Dupont, kodwa ubudlelwane bomntu omncinane obuthatyathwayo, u-Edith uthatha umntwana kwaye uqala ukuhlala ngokwahlukileyo. Ngeli xesha eParis, "iSpaniard" ephakamileyo kunye noEdith, nentombi yakhe uMarcel uyagula, kodwa intombazana iyafa.
Intombazana encinciweyo, engaseneminyaka engama-20 ubudala ngenxa yokungabi nemali yokungcwaba, ifa ngenxa yesenzo esiqhekezayo ukuziphatha ngobuhenyu. Kwakuyixesha lokuqala nelokugqibela, waqatshelwa ngumntu osisityebi kufuphi nehotele, wamenywa ekamelweni waza wabuza ukuba wenza ntoni, u-Edith wavuma ngokuqinisekileyo ukuba akanalo ngokwaneleyo i-francs ezili-10 ukuthenga ibhokisi lika-intombi yakhe. Ukumangaliswa ngumntu osisityebi unikela u-Edith 10 ama-francs (bathetha kwaye wathetha malunga nexesha lakhe kunye noko akwenzayo), kwaye naye ubhala ephepheni idilesi enye ye-cabaret, apho umhla ozayo uza kuba uphicotho lweemvumi eziselula. U-Edith wayephengululiweyo kwaye kwiminyaka emibini ezayo wayenza kwindawo yokutyela yaseZhernis, ngexesha elifanayo ukuza kwakhe ukuthandwa kuqala.
Umnini we-yokutyela ufundisa uEdith yonke imimangaliso yokucula, kwaye iphinda ifike ngegama elibi le-Piaf, elisetyenziswa ngesiFrentshi luthetha iintlunkulu. Emva kokufa komcebisi wakhe, Piafznakomitsya kunye nomlobi uRaymond Aso, le ndoda ayizange ibe ngumthandi wayo kuphela, kodwa nayo ipollist yakhe, kuba wayefundisa imilinganiselo yehlabathi.
Kwaye ke, ihora layo eligqibileyo lafika: U-Piaf wamenywa ukuba ahlabelele kwihholo lomculo eliyaziwayo laseParis "ABC". Uluntu ludlulisela ingoma kunye ne-sobscheniem, kwaye umshicileli wabhala ukuba eFrance inkwenkwezi yehlabathi yazalwa. Xa eneminyaka engama-30 uyathandwa kwaye kufuneka, phantsi kweempendulo zakhe kunye ne-Piaf akusekho nje umculi, kodwa kunye nomdlali we-actress. Nangona udumo lwama-blondes, olwalungumhle kakhulu kunowona u-Piaf oqhelekileyo, uE Edith uyaguqulwa waba yinkwenkwezi ye-movie. Kwisethi yefilimu elandelayo, u-Edith Piaf kunye no-Yves Montand abangabonakaliyo ngokugqithiseleyo baphenduka babe ngabathandi. Uneminyaka embalwa emdala kunabo, kwaye unamava amaninzi, umguqula ube ngumprothete, uncedise owaziwayo.
U-Edith Piaf wayenomkhuba wokunceda bonke abathandekayo bakhe-enye iya kuzaliseka, kwabanye abantu ngemali. Nangona uEdith wayedume ngokukwazi kwakhe ukuphosa amadoda, ebomini bakhe wahambisana ngokucacileyo kwimbono yokuba ufuna ukuphosa amadoda ngaphambi kokuba aqale ukucinga ngawo. Wayenabo bonke abathandekayo bakhe, kwaye emva kokuqhekeka kobudlelwane awayinike wona kunye nemfesane eluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka. Ngenxa yoko, emva kweminyaka emibili yobudlelwane noMontan ontle, uyiphosa ngokukhawuleza.
U-Edith Piaf wayethanda ingqalelo yindoda kwaye ngelo xesha unokuba neentando ezintathu okanye ngaphezulu, zatshintshwa, kwaye waqhubeka eyisa indawo. Kwaye kwakunomdla nokuthandana, xa loo mvakalelo yanyamalala, waphonsa lo mntu okanye loo mntu. Umculi waxela ukuba xa uqokelela amanani azo zonke izithandwa zakhe, kuya kuba nekhowudi yefoni. Kwaye ke, ngexesha lokutyelela, uyazi uthando lobomi bakhe - uMarcel Cerdan, ngoko umkhosi we-European in boxing.
USerdan no-Piaf abazange bafihle ubuhlobo babo, wayeyinkosikazi yakhe, kwaye wayeyindoda esatshatileyo enezingane ezintathu.
Ngokusemthethweni, uSerdana wayenza ubuhlobo no-Piaf, kwaye abantwana bakhe babengathandi umculi (nangona ubuhlobo obufudumele phakathi kwintombikazi yakhe kunye nomfazi waseSerdan waqala kuphela emva kokufa kukaMarcel).
Ukuthandana kwabo kwaphela kwintlekele, ngoxa uMarcel wagijima esuka eParis waya eNew York ngeendiza zeendiza, u-Piaf wangena ekusela, kodwa ke waqhubeka ngexesha elide. Wayekrazula ngenwele. Ngenxa yoko, umculi wajika i-valkolichku, wavuma ukuba atywe kwinqanaba kunye nomsebenzi wakhe, kunye nobomi bomntu. U-Piaf akakwazanga ukugxotha intlungu emva kokulahlekelwa yintanda yakhe.
Emva kokuba sele eqala ukuthetha nabantwana abancinci ngokufanelekileyo kwinqanaba, kamva wafumanisa ukuba ngumkhuhlane omhlophe. Emva kwexesha elithile, wanquma ukuphelisa ubomi bakhe ngokuzibulala, kodwa wahlangulwa. Emva kweminyaka emibili emva kokufa kukaSerdan, u-Piaf uwela emotweni yemoto, emva koko oogqirha bawaqoqa ngokucacileyo. Esibhedlele, unikezwa i-morphine ukuba ikhuphe intlungu kwaye kungekudala ayikwazi ukucinga ngobomi bakhe ngaphandle kwesi sidakamizwa.
Ngeeminyaka emine ezayo, i-detonator isebenza kuphela kule nkunkuma kwaye isebenza kakhulu ngokuqhubekayo, njengoko yaziwa ukuba i-morphine ibangela ukudakumba kwaye kunzima ukusebenza kulo rhulumente.
Ngesinye isikhathi, kwingozi yeziyobisi, wabona ubuso benina, owafa eneminyaka engama-50 ukusuka ekugqithiseni kwe-morphine kunye nomculi wakhe wanquma ukumbambisa ngokupheleleyo nale nkunkuma. U-Piaf walahlekisa umlutha we-morphine, kodwa waqhubeka nokudla utywala.
Naphezu kweendlela zakhe ezinobungozi, u-Edith waqhubeka nokusebenza, kunye nokuguqula izandi. Uthando lwakhe lokugqibela lwaluneminyaka engu-27 ubudala wezinwele zeTheo Lambucas. Badibana nesibhedlele (ukusetyenziswa kwexesha elide kweziyobisi kunye notywala azinakuyichaphazela impilo yakhe), apho i-Piaf yayiphathwe ngumhlaza wesibindi. Kungekudala uTheoi Edith uza kutshata. Kwizithombe ezidibeneyo, yena ubonakala evuya.
Ngo-1963, u-Piaf wasweleka, kwaye indoda yakhe encinci ishiywe engenanto, kuba yonke into ayengayifumana kwi-actress eyaziwayo iyimali yakhe, efuneka ukuba ayihlawule emva kokufa kwakhe.
