CHAR René (1907-1988). Lot n° 26

4 L.A.S. "René Char", to gallery owners André and Henriette GOMÈS; 1 page each in-12 or in-8, one address (slight. wetness to one letter). 300/400 Friendly letters to "Mes chers vous", "Mes chers tous deux", "Mes chers agneaux". He is forced to cancel his appointments with the couple: "This time again impossible to be with you on Saturday. I'm sorry, but these are very troubled times"... "Don't count on me tonight. I have the flu and I can't go out... Etc. 23 25 24 32 33 les collections aristophil littérature 27 CHATEAUBRIAND François-René de (1768-1848). L.A., Val de Loup Wednesday midnight June 10 [1812], to the Duchess of DURAS; 4 1/2 pages in-4. Beautiful and long letter about his financial situation, and about the pamphlets and attacks against him. [A new edition of Cadet-Gassicourt's pamphlet, Saint-Géran ou la nouvelle langue française, followed by the parody Itinéraire de Lutèce au Mont-Valérien, to which Hoff mann devoted three feuilletons of the Journal de l'Empire] had just appeared. "It is a singular stubbornness on your part, dear sister, not to want to believe what I tell you about my affairs! I assure you that they are no worse than I am telling you. 15,000ll fix them up perfectly, except however for the 10,000 francs of Mde de Coislin lent for three years and for which I am paying an annuity of 7 1/2 per cent on the guarantee of M. de Tocqueville; and the 20,000 francs mortgaged at all times on the Valley and for which I am paying an annuity of 6. These two annuities make a reduction of 1,600 francs on my income, three shares added to our shareholders would cover this challenge. There is therefore nothing more urgent than the 15,000 francs from the booksellers. This sum being scattered on the market in negotiable notes, when these notes come in I have to pay them; and as I do not have the funds I am forced to borrow them at an interest of 50 and 60 per cent. At this game the capital of the debt will be doubled in one year, quadrupled in two &c... And all this is not my fault. These are the fruits of a bookseller's bankruptcy; moreover, I am so well off in my business, that by giving up the last edition of the Itinerary to lenorMAnt, I have paid a debt of 54,000 francs. Here you are, dear sister, satisfied on this point; but I am dying to write all this. You will have seen from your newspapers that the battle I announced to you has begun. The rage against me is at its height. All the gazettes have orders to heap insult upon insult. This is the result of my obstinacy in not wanting to make a second speech. They also say that it is good to keep the public busy with something; and they do me the honor of looking upon my name as a diversion from the great scenes of Europe. Do not be too unhappy about all this. I am shut up in my valley with the esteem of honest people. I will oppose silence and contempt to the apothecaries who make Parodies and to the Bouff ons who promote the works of apothecaries. For you may not know that the author of these Parodies is a man named Adet-GAssicourt, Apothecary to H.M., and his commentator Mr. HoFFMAn. I confess, however, that I am a little weary of this life spent in the midst of storms; and that I sometimes turn my eyes towards a country where I could complete the rest of my days in rest. You also feel that if I must not give up writing, I must at least give up publishing, and leave the battlefield to the lackeys who live there. All this will turn out to the benefit of history, and tomorrow will not be over until the first page of this great picture has been drawn. If they knew what they were doing with these ignoble persecutions, they might not be so eager. I have always been afraid, dear sister, to send you a few verses of my tragedy [Moses]. I have my reasons for this. You will see the five acts in August. That will be better. [...] Good evening dear sister. Once again, do not worry about me. Remember that I am now beyond such attacks; and that they would only dishonour those who wear them if they could be dishonoured. Correspondance générale, t. II, n° 567.