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a close up of a piece of paper with handwriting on it
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366 - Alphonse de LAMARTINE. Autograph letter, Mâcon, 15 February …
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Estimate €400 - €500
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Description
Alphonse de LAMARTINE. Autograph letter, Mâcon, 15 February 1829, [to the Marquise de Montcalm]; 4 pages, in-8. He does not forget her: ‘Solitude is the state in which one forgets the least. Nothing dispels one’s thoughts; nothing erases one’s impressions; they become more deeply ingrained rather than fading away. My thoughts of you often return to me there; I long for you and miss you’… He does not know whether the new minister will keep his predecessor’s promise to send him to London: ‘If I do not go to London, I shall bury myself forever in my woods. I bid farewell to the active world which I nevertheless love, and I immerse myself once more in the ideals I abandoned long ago’… As for politics: ‘Fortunately, it has largely fallen dormant in the provinces. A local by-law would have stirred things up to the very dregs ten years ago; today, it barely makes a ripple. That is a good sign for our future. It is obvious to anyone with eyes to see that if one wants a revolution, it will take a great deal of effort and talent to bring it about; yet even then, would it not be artificial? It is not part of the natural order of things. It would be a rehash; it might not be any more appealing for that.” He does not know whether Pasquier or Chateaubriand will join the ministry: ‘I am quite fond of the former and rather wary of the latter, but I fear that the intrigues of parliamentary debate may prove too strong and draw him back in, only for him to be worn down to the bone.’ Is poetry still being written? ‘I read nothing but the old poets, and nothing that has completely satisfied me since the year 1321, when Dante died; men have since fallen short of his stature. Read him if you can bear it; he will put you off everything’…
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About the sale Letters and Autograph Manuscripts – Part II
Auction location
Auction time 10/14/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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