1 / 2
Description
PAULHAN (Jean).
The Hain-Teny. The Mérinas. Malagasy folk poetry.
Paris: Librairie Paul Genthner, 1913. — In-18, 190 x 129: (2 ff.), 457 pp., (3 ff., the last blank), printed cover. Paperback.
A rare first edition, of which no large-format copies were printed.
This is a collection of Malagasy folk poetry published by Jean Paulhan, the result of his stay in Madagascar between 1908 and 1910, where he taught at the Collège de Tananarive.
The ‘hain-teny’ (a Malagasy expression meaning ‘the science of words’) are poems comprising a clear, descriptive part and an obscure, metaphorical and proverbial part. In Madagascar, they form part of a tradition of poetic duelling, in which opponents clash with proverbs, used as arguments or evidence. The publication of *Hain-Teny* marked a literary milestone: this collection even enabled Malagasy intellectuals to rediscover this tradition.
Dirty and stained cover, tears and missing sections on the spine. The first two leaves are unbound.
Also included, by the same author:
- *Les Hain-Tenys*. Paris: Gallimard, [1939]. — In-16, 187 x 117: 216 pp., (1 f.), printed cover. Paperback.
Second edition.
Press copy, featuring this autograph dedication signed by the author on the first blank page:
To Madame Foucault // with best regards from //
her neighbour today // Jean Paulhan
Stains and small tears to the cover.
- *Les Hain-Teny. Poésie obscure*. Monaco: Société de conférences, 1930. — In-8 booklet, 222 x 140: (1 blank folio), 41 pp., printed cover. Paperback.
First edition of the lecture given on 6 January 1930 by Jean Paulhan on Malagasy poetry.
Limited edition of 104 copies; this one is one of the 100 printed on pure rag paper in the ‘forme’ format (no. 72), featuring a signed autograph dedication by the author: ‘To the Viscount de Noailles, // with the best regards // from Jean Paulhan.’
Browned cover.
Provenance:
Vicomte de Noailles, with a dedication by the author. – Marie Laure, with bookplate.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale
Claude Mozis Library – Black Africa and the African diaspora
Auction location
Auction time
10/21/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like