French poet and one of the leading voices of the surrealist movement in France (1897-1982). Autograph letter signed ("L. A."). Berlin. 4to. 1 page.
$ 2,131 / 2.000 €
(80942/BN52868)
To the French journalist and cinema writer Georges Sadoul: "Monsieur A. B. lui-même s'est en allé de la rue Fontaine pour Avignon. Pour tous renseignements s'adresser galerie Goemans. Là-dessus je dois te dire confidentiellement que la confiance ne régnant pas tu seras vraisemblablement seul autorisé par une clef et une lettre que tu recevras à faire ce que Breton et Eluard t'écriront rue Becquerel [...]" (transl: "Mr. A. B. himself went from rue Fontaine to Avignon. For all information contact galerie Goemans.
On this subject I must tell you confidentially that the confidence that does not reign will probably only be authorized by a key and a letter that you will receive to do what Breton and Eluard will write to you on rue Becquerel [...]"). - Somewhat wrinkled and small damage to edges..
French poet and one of the leading voices of the surrealist movement in France (1897-1982). Autograph letter signed ("Aragon"). Moscow. 4to. 2 pages. With autograph envelope.
$ 2,131 / 2.000 €
(80943/BN52869)
In French, to the poet Luc Decaunes, relating in part to Decaunes's magazine "Soutes": "[...] I have received Soutes and thank you for it, interesting issue, uneven, and found it better to reread the poem by Nigg Louis Guillaume, weak but very sympathetic, we'll do something with this boy there but that he doesn't believe it's already happened. [...] Everything military is suspect, the pseudo-peaceful language which here is used against the army of peace, against the army of workers and peasants, and which he unreservedly assimilates to the army of war to that of capital, it is in fact the very language of the 'comrade anarchist, traitor to the proletariat'" (transl.).
French poet (1897-1982). Autograph manuscript signed ("Aragon"). [Moscow. Folio. 4 ¾ pp. on 8 ff. In red ink.
$ 6,926 / 6.500 €
(82604/BN53786)
Article in French entitled "Le 7 Novembre est bien la fête des Sans-Dieu" ("November 7 is effectively the Feast of the Godless") for the atheist magazine "La Lutte antireligieuse et sociale", organ of Proletarian Free Thought (better known as "Organisation des travailleurs sans dieu"). Louis Aragon spent a year in Moscow from early 1932 after breaking with the Surrealist movement, particularly André Breton. During this time he witnessed the enormous parade on Red Square for Revolution Day on October 15.
In the article Aragon describes the event with a focus on anti-religious messages, contrasting the "byzantine" Saint Basil's Cathedral with modern architecture, engineering, and technological progress such as the planned Moscow Canal, achieved by communism. The military parade was followed by a parade of workers with their tools, products and anti-religious posters, for "this crowd has no God anymore, this immense crowd has no God anymore". And yet there are new idols, standing out against the old ones: "What an extraordinary figure made above this crowd, where you find the best shock workers of socialist construction, the best pioneers from the kolkhozes and sovkhozes, the baroque cathedral, like a phantom of the past!" In closing, Aragon enthusiastically describes the accompanying air show, likening the aircrafts to symbols of socialist progress, in comparison with the symbols of tsarism and orthodoxy: "And in passing with their straight wings they seem to deride the contorted golden eagles of the Tsars, the crosses with two crossbeams of the old church, where today only the voices of Marx and Lenin are heard, of the old church that is chained to the triumphal chariot of the Proletariat". - Louis Aragon was loyal to Moscow and Stalinism well into the 1960s, even defending the Moscow Trials in articles. When the scope of Stalinist terror was finally revealed, he distanced himself from Soviet communism and condemned its past and continuing crimes. - Several minor tears, somewhat dusty and smudged. Collector's note in pencil to the first page..
French poet (1897-1982). Autograph letter signed. No place. 4to. 1½ pages.
$ 3,730 / 3.500 €
(83082/BN54516)
To the journalist and literary critic André Rousseaux (1896-1973) about a discussion of Victor Hugo's poem "Booz endormi" by Charles Péguy (1873-1914), an admirer of Hugo's, considering current poetic criticism in the Revue Critique to be in desperate need of some humor: "Péguy a discuté le coup de Jerimadeth... et je sais bien qu'il aimait Hugo, et qu'il le défendait [...] j'ai voulu simplement dire que le pont-aux-ânes inventé par la Revue Critique ne relève pas de la discussion sérieuse, mais qu'il fallait lui opposer ce vieil humour des familles dont la critique poétique est de nos jours si étrangement démunie [...]".
- Further about travelling to Switzerland shortly, having missed the writer Georges Bernanos (1888-1948), who recently visited a mutual friend along with the priest and screenwriter Raymond Léopold Bruckberger (1907-98), mentioning his wife Elsa and himself fleeing Paris due to the Prix Goncourt, and considering a stay in occupied Germany more agreeable than witnessing the award ceremony. Aragon goes on to complain about the silence of the critics regarding his book "Servitude et Grandeur des Français" published three months earlier, and concludes with his intention of allaying his anger by consuming Swiss milk, chocolate, and nescafé, having lost much weight since the war: "Nous partons tout à l'heure pour la Suisse [...] Je n'ai pas vu Bernanos, signalé dans ces pages par les hebdomadaires, et qui est allé avant-hier avec le R. P. Brückberger chez une dame chez qui j'ai été moi hier [...] Elsa et moi avions fui Paris rendre invivable par le Goncourt. Un séjour en Allemagne occupée, zone franque, vaudrait mieux que cette mention peu honorable [...] A part ça, je vous signale le silence croissant fait autour de ce que je publie. 4 articles [...] pour Servitude et Grandeur après trois mois d'envoi du S. P. Pas mal, hein? Parlons de la glorie. Mais comme je pèse 62 kgs, pour 75 avant guerre et 69 en septembre, je vais passer ma bile sur le lait, le chocolat, le nescafé de Suisse [...]"..
French poet (1897-1982). Autograph note signed. N. p. o. d. 12mo. ½ p. In French.
$ 4,049 / 3.800 €
(86139/BN57050)
Thanking the poet Léon-Paul Fargue for defending Aragon and his friends "against people who are a bit too quick with their tongues and quills". Aragon wrote this charming note with the heading "as soon as possible" after learning of Fargue's "courageous" act from the librarian Adrienne Monnier. With ironic hyperbole, Aragon apologizes for finding "neither clever phrases nor commonplaces", explaining that Fargue's attitude touches him so deeply that he is "reduced to" silence. The note in full: "Je ne veux pas, Monsieur, m'en remettre au hazard d'un rencontre pour vous remercier.
Je viens d'apprendre de Mademoiselle Monnier de quelle façon courageuse vous nous avez défendus mes amis et moi contre des gens un peu trop prompts de la langue et de la plume. Excusez-moi de ne trouver pour vous en exprimer [!] ma gratitude ni pharses habiles ni lieux communs. Votre attitude me touche mieux et ne me laisse qu'à me taire". - Louis Aragon and Léon-Paul Fargue were among the numerous important customers and friends of the legendary book dealer Adrienne Monnier. The dispute alluded to in the note might well be the famous rupture between the Dadaists with their leader Tristan Tzara and the new Surrealist group centering on André Breton and Louis Aragon. - Two minor stains. Recipient identified on the basis of a collector's note..
French poet (1897-1982). Autograph letter signed ("Aragon"). [Paris. 4to. 1 p.
$ 1,918 / 1.800 €
(91350/BN60387)
To his housekeeper Maria, informing her of his plans to go the countryside, so that she may pass on the information to his friends when they call: "Comme je vous l'avais dit je pars pour trois jours (je rentrerai peut-être un peu plustôt). Les obsèquenes de Jacques Duclos ont compliqué mon emploi du temps. Je vais déjeuner à la campagne et je reviens directement pour l'enterrement, repartant aussitôt après. Je ne prends pas Raymond, ce serait trop compliqué [...]. Si les amis qui téléphoneront vous demandent où je suis, combien de temps, dites que tout ce que vous savez l'est que je rentre Vendredi [...].
Ne vous tracassez pas de moi. Je vous laisse une chemise à laver, et une cravate avec une tache à en enlever [...]". - The letter can be dated with respect to the death of the communist politician Jacques Duclos on 25 April 1975, whose funeral Aragon announces to attend. - Traces of folds. With restored tears to the folds..