GROSCLAUDE, Étienne A Parisian in Madagascar.... Lot 4045

GROSCLAUDE, Étienne A Parisian in Madagascar. Aventures et impressions de voyage Paris, Librairie Hachette et Cie, 1898. Illustrated with 138 engravings. Half-binding in burgundy calf. 365pp. Étienne GROSCLAUDE (1858-1932) was a journalist and humorist, author of numerous works, most of which were based on his columns in various newspapers and magazines. Jules Lemaître said he was fascinated by his universal irreverence, his mad dialectician inventions and the foolishly elegant appearance of his texts. Grosclaude touched on all subjects, and one day decided to look for some in Madagascar. Embarked on 10 August 1896 on the Yangtze River at the same time as Gallieni, he spent a few months on the Big Island from where he brought back a story in his own way. Humour is omnipresent there and the author is an exception among the travellers of his time by ironing as much about himself as about the Malagasy people. Without departing from the dominant ideology, he nevertheless manages to give a taste of his witty features. By way of self-presentation, Étienne Grosclaude tells in his own way, that is to say in a pleasant and fanciful way, how he was led to make this journey.