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an open book with writing on it sitting on top of a table
CONAN BELLEVILLE Hôtel d’Ainay

669 - SARTRE (Jean-Paul). Autograph MANUSCRIPT for *Les Mots*.
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Estimate €1,500 - €1,800
Sale commission
Description
SARTRE (Jean-Paul). Autograph MANUSCRIPT for *Les Mots*. 1963, in-4, 5 sheets of squared paper mounted on green percaline tabs in the Bradel style, gilt title on the front cover (modern binding). First draft manuscript with crossed-out passages and corrections. “I kindly allow people to put my shoes on, [put drops in my nose (addition)], to brush me and wash me, to dress me and undress me, to pamper me and to stuff me...” The manuscript ends with: “If I had a grandson, I think he would become an engineer.” In these fragments, Sartre passes harsh judgement on the child he once was. One page is devoted to the motivations behind his vocation as a writer: “Sometimes the whole world helps the writer, whispering words into his ear. That has happened to me too. But if he writes against the tide, as he often does, the words dry up in his head, and he has to struggle. In most cases, in order to write, I had to force my exquisite nature, rise above my blissful mediocrity or, as I shall explain, think against my own better judgement...”
See original version (French)
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About the sale A SCHOLAR-COLLECTOR’S LIBRARY Part 2: 19th- and 20th-century literature
Auction location
Auction time 10/14/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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