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two books sitting on top of each other on a white surfacean old book with french text on the front and back of itan open book with a handwritten note on the inside of ita handwritten letter from the theatre de l ' ateliera handwritten letter from a man who is holding up a piece of paperan open book with a picture of a dog on the coverpieces brillantes by jean anouhan open book with a handwritten poem on it sitting on a tablean open book on a white background with a picture of a bird on it
Neptune Enchères

239 - Set of two books signed by Jean ANOUILH:
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Estimate €50 - €100
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Description
Set of two books signed by Jean ANOUILH: - Jean ANOUILH. Pièces Brillantes. L'Invitation au château – Colombe – La Répétition ou l'amour puni – L'Ecole des pères. Paris, La Table Ronde, 1951. In-12, softback. WITH AUTOGRAPH DEDICATION: ‘To Paul Oettly, who managed to turn an impossible little thing into something amusing… Jean Anouilh’. - Jean ANOUILH. *La répétition ou l’amour puni*. Paris – Geneva. La Palatine, In-12. WITH AUTOGRAPH DEDICATION: ‘To Paul Oettly, in memory of a small figure of great talent, in a play still uncertain on 9 February 1951 at 8 o’clock! Jean Anouilh". Enclosed is a letter on “Théâtre de l’Atelier” letterhead, signed by André Barsacq: “My dear Oettly, I do not know if I shall see you, which is why I am writing this short note. I’ve given a great deal of thought to your character and the reasons why he fails to blend in with the rest of the cast. I am now certain that it is a question of rhythm. You make him too drawn-out, too slow, whereas Anouilh’s text must be delivered – and I speak from experience – at a rapid pace, bursting forth as if the thoughts were racing ahead. Otherwise, all your scenes – even the one in Colombe’s dressing room where you have just three lines to say – disrupt the overall rhythm and feel like a sudden halt. Think about it; I believe this is the key to your role. There’s a certain verbal frenzy that must take hold of all the characters (indeed, Anouilh himself is like that in real life, and he writes his plays at his own personal pace). It’s true that I’m mad, my dear lad—I didn’t sleep a wink all night… and it was impossible; I moaned all night like a damned soul. I drank terribly to forget, I took drugs—nothing worked, and so on… It must be delivered at a crescendo, not in the weary, slow tone you used last time, which makes your character seem very sad and, as I told you, disrupts the overall rhythm. Similarly, the incantations following the… “You were waiting for the mad hours, etc...” which must be delivered with a sense of bubbling, rapid ecstasy. We’ll talk about this again tonight. Over to you. AB” Source: Estate of Paul OETTLY – French actor and theatre director.
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About the sale CATALOGUE CURRENTLY BEING PREPARED – Classic Arts and Multi-collection Auction: Furniture, Works of Art, Paintings, Asian Art, Books and Wines
Auction location
Auction time 10/14/2026 at 2:15 PM
Ref. : 0691 - 55
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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