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an open book with a picture of a man on itan open book with a picture of a man on it
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217 - Boris VIAN. *Manuel de Saint Germain des Prés*.
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Estimate €2,000 - €3,000
Sale commission
Description
Boris VIAN. *Manuel de Saint Germain des Prés*. Text presented and edited by Noël Arnaud; illustrations compiled by d’Déé. Paris, Éditions du Chêne, 1974. In-8, burgundy morocco leather, plain spine, title in palladium, photograph of the author superimposed on an image of the Church of Saint Germain des Prés, printed on canvas and mounted on the covers; cover and spine preserved (Mercher, 1978). First edition. A fine copy, bound at the time by Mercher. Included is a preparatory working manuscript, containing numerous crossings-out and corrections: a 7-page autograph manuscript on 5 folios in-4, in blue, green or violet ink, with numbering in red pencil. The *Manuel de Saint-Germain des Prés* was originally a ‘tourist’ guide commissioned from Boris Vian by the publisher Toutain for the *Guides Verts* collection in 1949. Announced in 1950, the guide was not finally published until posthumously, in 1974, under the supervision of Noël Arnaud by Éditions du Chêne. The first sheet sets out the general structure of the guide: Introduction (definition, location, access, etc.) A. The legend: Saint-Germain-des-Prés by night B. Reality: Saint-Germain-des-Prés by day C. Highlights and personalities D. (Tourist) sites and monuments E. Dosage and instructions for use. “If, despite everything you’ve just read, you still want to have a good time in Saint-Germain.” The remaining pages, two of which are previously unpublished, are devoted to three ‘personalities’ from Saint-Germain-des-Prés: Simone de Beauvoir, Frédéric Chauvelot and Count Anne de Bieville: Physically, Mame de Beauvoir has the great merit of breaking the mould of the ‘woman of letters’ with a sharp-featured face and a sombre complexion. Young, lively, with a pleasantly husky voice, black hair and Delft-blue eyes, a fair complexion and flat shoes, she also loves travelling and discussion; she is interested in walking forty kilometres in a day and spending forty hours in discussion. […] As for Simone de Beauvoir, who qualified as a professor of philosophy in 1929, all sorts of nonsense has been peddled about her, just as it has been about Sartre, for that matter. For my part, I do not think one can summarise their philosophy in twenty lines. I’d simply point out that the recent revival of Saint-Germain-des-Prés is largely down to their literary fame, and that if the local bar-keepers had a shred of honesty, Simone de Beauvoir and Sartre should be able to drink for free in all the bistros they helped to establish. Isn’t that right, Castor? It’s a good idea, isn’t it? Vian also paints a sympathetic portrait of his friend Frédéric Chauvelot, “one of the key figures in the ‘caves’ movement, which he catalysed with great skill and personal charm [Chauvelot managed a number of iconic venues such as the Tabou and the Club Saint-Germain]”, concluding this portrait as follows: “He doesn’t like it at all when people talk about him. I have no reason to cause him pain, despite my well-known sadism. So I’ll stop here”. The two pages on Count Anne de Bieville are previously unpublished: In them, Vian discusses this distinguished resident of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, a somewhat dilettante amateur, laden with degrees, author of a study on Patrice de La Tour du Pin, an expert at canasta, a collector of walking sticks, who sometimes complained about the neighbourhood becoming overrun. “Surely,” protests Anne de Biéville, “one can still go into a public urinal to have a wee and to the Reine Blanche for a drink!!”
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About the sale Henri Michaux, the Sven Pitsey collection
Auction location
Auction time 10/29/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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