OVA - LITERATURE • WRITERS AND POETS OF THE 19-20th CENTURIES (DROUOT ESTIMATIONS)

Expert: Claude Oterelo

The fifth sale of the series will be devoted to Literature, organised by Drouot Estimations auction house, under the gavel of Alexandre Giquello, president of the Drouot group. The remarkably high-quality autograph documents cast light on some of the most influential and original figures in literature and poetry, from the late 19th century to the 1960s. A large section of the sale focuses on Surrealism, particularly through the works of Arthur RIMBAUD, often designated as the father of the movement, as the forerunners of Surrealism drew on his genius for their automatic writing techniques, directly guided by the subconscious and dreams. The result was writing liberated from all reason and prejudice, together with transdisciplinary and collaborative works, notably illustrated by the works of Paul VERLAINE and Stéphane MALLARMÉ. The sale includes numerous poems and manuscripts, as well as correspondence, publications, illustrated books, personal notes and drawings, by several artists enlisted in this 20th century movement celebrating free writing and creation: Guillaume APOLLINAIRE, André BRETON, Paul ÉLUARD, Jean COCTEAU, Louis ARAGON, Antonin ARTAUD and René CHAR.

 
aaa
The poem by Arthur RIMBAUD (1854-1891) “Patience. D’un été.”, written in spring 1872, marked the start of a new creative period for the poet, in which he experimented by fragmenting the form he had preserved until then. Rhymes are replaced by alliteration and internal rhymes; the verse, similar to prose, plays on sonorities, and the poem breaks free from rules, as in Les Illuminations (1886). This poem belonged to Verlaine; Rimbaud had written it for him (€100,000-150,000).




 
aaa
A highlight of the sale is a copious correspondence from André BRETON (1896-1966) to his friend Théodore FRAENKEL (1896-1964) between 1901 and 1933, with over 160 letters (estimate: €100,000-120,000). This unique collection makes it possible to follow the entire intellectual development of André Breton from his adolescence, when he wrote his first poems, to the beginning of Surrealism, when he dwells on the sources and development of the 20th century’s most important literary and artistic movement. Théodore Fraenkel was Breton’s closest friend, partner and confidant during their youth. The two met as teenagers at school (the Collège Chaptal) in 1910 and developed a deep friendship. Both were born in 1896 and were passionate about poetry: they also studied the same subject, medicine, and joined the army together in Nantes. Fraenkel became a doctor, and was involved in the Dadaist period, and, of course, the beginning of Surrealism. This correspondence is probably one of the most important in the literary and personal life of André Breton..
 
 
aaa
No less remarkable, as it provides key information on two outstanding members of the Surrealist movement, is the correspondence between Paul ÉLUARD (1895-1952) and his first wife Elena Ivanovna Diakonova, known as “Gala” (1894-1982), consisting of 266 autograph letters and postcards. This is estimated at €300,000-400,000. This correspondence is undoubtedly the finest we know of from a key member of Surrealism. In an intimate manner, a Paul Éluard deeply in love talks to Gala about his life as a Surrealist in Paris, while she herself was getting to know Salvador Dalí, whom she would later marry. The correspondence is not only literary, but often sensual. Éluard and Gala would continue to write to each other long after their separation. “I am going through a melancholic period; I miss you terribly; I have endless memories within me, which I treasure passionately… One day, I shall have go and live in your shadow, my beautiful sun-woman.”
 
Again by Paul Éluard, the sale includes “Le Livre Ouvert III”, an autograph manuscript with nine original gouaches (estimate: €150,000-200,000). The book groups together the poems that Éluard, now living in hiding, wrote during the Occupation (1942-1943). The volume ends with the manuscript of the author’s most famous poem, “La Liberté”.

 
The precious autograph manuscript of “Artine” by René CHAR (1907-1988) is a marvellous discovery. Prepared for printing, the book belonged to Paul ÉLUARD, his closest friend in the Surrealist period. It bears witness to the short chapter of Surrealism in Char’s life, and contains an unpublished text: “The astonishing vegetation of eternal snows barely hides in its branches the large black notices that attempt at various times in our lives to communicate inaccessible truths to us. With the approach of the wind, the letters disappear one by one (circled phrase): is it a carnage?”. Estimated at €100,000-120,000, “Artine” is one of René Char’s most important poems, published in 1930 by the Éditions Surréalistes in Paris.


Lastly, the sale looks back at Marcel PROUST (1871-1922), Raymond QUENEAU (1903-1976), COLETTE (1873-1954), Boris VIAN (1920-1959), Jacques PRÉVERT (1900-1977) and Louis-Ferdinand CÉLINE (1894-1961). Céline’s “Maudits soupirs pour une autre fois” is a highly precious manuscript which contains a second draft with variants of the first two volumes of “Féérie pour une autre fois”, together with the incomplete draft of a third part that was never published (€250,000-350,000).

 
Jacques PRÉVERT (1900-1977)
Signed autograph letter, signed “Jacques” with drawings to Claudy CARTER
Estimate: €3,000-4,000
 

 
This sale, n° 5, is organised by Drouot Estimations
Total number of lots: 95 
Global estimate: €2,500,000

Public auction – Drouot – Room 9
Tuesday 19 June 2018 – 2pm

Public exhibition – Drouot – Room 9
Tuesday 12 June – 11am – 6pm
Wednesday 13 June – 11am – 6pm
Thursday 14 June - 11am – 9pm
Friday 15 June – 11am – 6pm
Tuesday 19 June – 11am – 12pm