Alphonse DAUDET (1840-1897) - Lot 41

Lot n° 41
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Result : 850EUR
Alphonse DAUDET (1840-1897) - Lot 41
Alphonse DAUDET (1840-1897) Autograph notebook for Les Rois en exil; in-12 (14,5 x 9,5 cm) of 128 leaves, original blue cloth-backed boards (detached from the boards, several ff detached), label of the stationer Chélu. Precious notebook of work and sketches for the novel Les Rois en exil. The novel Les Rois en exil, conceived in 1871 during the burning of the Tuileries, was published in serial form in Le Temps from August to October 1879 and then in volume form at Dentu. It is the story of a small king, driven out of his Balkan kingdom by a revolution, and who takes refuge in Paris; he is surrounded by a court of faithful people who dream of a restoration, but also by crooked intriguers. Daudet confessed, in Histoire de mes livres, that this novel is the one that "gave him the most trouble to stand up"; this notebook testifies to this, with its numerous notes and drafts, from this first idea at the beginning (3 lines crossed out): "The little queen - waking up at the Louvre hotel. Exile. - Queen of Naples, Queen of Spain, King of Hanover, wife of Don Carlos. The king to Mabille". The notebook is filled with a small, tight handwriting in ink, except for a few notes in pencil. The beginning of the notebook is filled with brief notes, first ideas for episodes, like this one: "Giving a child to the queen. The drunken king - the queen sticks him against the wall, talks to him between the eyes. Deputation that he will receive. Attention "... It should be noted that Daudet thought of treating the subject in a play in 5 acts, La reine Frédérique. There are also lists of characters (with hesitations on the names), and the drafting on 5 pages of the "Outline of the book": "The king and the queen of I... come in exile to Paris. At first they think they are only there for a few months and live temporarily in a hostel"... Etc. Then come the first drafts of the various chapters, from the first to the last (The end of a race), some in several successive versions, crossed out after the final draft. One also notes documentary notes, in particular on the Balkans, and a list of chapters.
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