French novelist (1864-1941), creator of Arsène Lupin. 1 autograph letter signed "Maurice Leblanc", 1 autograph letter monogramed, and 1 autograph postcard signed "Maurice". N. p. 4to and postcard format. Together 4 pp.
$ 1,335 / 1.250 €
(90484/BN60232)
Correspondence with his close friend, the translator Louis Tabulet, concerning a meeting and an invitation to spend some days in Leblanc's villa in Étretat. In the postcard from 5 July 1893, Leblanc asks Tabulet to visit him early in the morning as he has an appointment with the publisher Paul Ollendorff. Ollendorff published Leblanc's first novel "Une femme" in 1893 and would be his publisher until 1904 with a total of 9 publications. - The much later letters from the summer fo 1916 are an invitation to spend some days in Étretat "during the great storm" of the First World War together with Leblanc, his second wife Marguerite and her son Claude.
Leblanc rented a villa in Étretat, Normandy, since 1915 that he would buy in 1918 and baptize Le Clos Lupin in homage to his most famous character Arsène Lupin. On 16 June 1916, Leblanc first announced his idea to Tabulet, emphasizing that they rented a "charming villa" and that Étretat "has the advantage of being almost deserted" during that time of the year except for English guests, hoping that this information would entice his anglophile friend. Apparently with success as Leblanc asks his friend to give him a day upon his arrival to find a housekeeper before joining him in Étretat (21 June 1916). In another reference to the "tragic times" of the war, Leblanc emphasizes how much he looks forward to spending time by the sea with his friend. - Today, Le Clos Arsène Lupin is a museum dedicated to Maurice Leblanc and his famous character. - Traces of folds. Some browning..