An early flirt with Algebraic Geometry

My first forays in research began in algebraic geometry (1965), through two masterly advanced courses by François BRUHAT and Jean-Pierre SERRE at Ecole Normale Sup. [Paris], where they brilliantly spoke about ZARISKI’s topology, arithmetics, corps de classes, algebraic curves, etc. Fascinated by these topics, I asked J.P. SERRE to direct my first steps towards a PhD, and he gave me an uncompromising massive reading list, which I completed in 1966, during a one year stay at Harvard Graduate School, supported by a Fulbright scholarship. My young Harvard advisor was no fan of french algebraic geometry, and could offer me no guidance through DIEUDONNE’s massive accounts of GROTHENDIECK's seminars. I kept reading on my own, and pursued, in tight collaboration with Pierre BERTHELOT, the joint writing of “Elements of algebraic geometry”, an introductory monograph published in 1967, based on F. BRUHAT’s advanced courses and our discussions with him.

References :
Elements of Algebraic Geometry
R. Azencott, P. Berthelot, (based on F. Bruhat's course) 120 pages Pub. ENS Ulm Paris 1967