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117
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An Unknown Mistress of Dumas the Younger
See original version (French)
117
-
An Unknown Mistress of Dumas the Younger
See original version (French)
Estimate €400 - €600
Voluntary lot
Description
An Unknown Mistress of Dumas the Younger
Alexandre Dumas the Younger. 34 autograph, signed letters to his mistress Anna Ribes or concerning her. Undated and 1855–1892. 90 pp. approx. in-8 and in-12. 12 envelopes.
– Anna to Alexandre, undated [1855]. ‘I have read your letter several times and I believe I have understood it well… I am entirely satisfied. What I did three months ago, I would do again now. Could it ever occur to you that I was childish enough not to have realised your worth, to have decided on such a serious step… I loved you very much; you fulfilled all my desires. I was not mistaken. And I chose well, following my heart and my tastes… Your slave. Anna.”
– 7 July 1855. “I do love you, however, rest assured, and I cannot see how I might change, despite your fears for the future and my habits of the past. If I am not more effusive in my words towards you, it is because such effusiveness is not in my nature and because, from a very young age, I have had to suppress within myself those spontaneous impulses of the heart that are typical of your age… – undated. ‘Your mother’s kindness—indeed, her very weakness—has allowed you to get into the habit of treating her, at times, in a strange manner, which you are now beginning to direct towards me, and which I shall not tolerate under any circumstances… ’ – July 1857. ‘A list of the women I know in Luchon… And you – whom I love.’ – 6 August 1857. ‘My dear child. Ever since I have known you, I have told you all the lies that a man living in a certain milieu is forced to tell a woman who is perpetually anxious to see him in that very milieu. Moreover, it was the painful and inevitable consequence of a false situation arising from an awkward beginning… ’ – undated. ‘So believe me, my dear child, take me as I am, tell yourself that you are doomed to love a man who perhaps does not deserve it and who loves you with a love that is unlike your own…’ – undated. ‘Your black butterflies, my poor child, are hummingbirds compared to mine… I never speak to you of them so as not to bore you and because it serves no purpose… You are not happy, nor am I. – undated “I do not feel unwell here at Made Sand’s. There is a great calm here, which I sorely need. I shall try to get back to work from tomorrow. I make no secret of the fact that I shall be extending my stay here for as long as possible. – undated, to Anna’s mother (missing at the bottom of the page). “ The remark I made about the rent was not directed at her. It was addressed to you, not to her. So there’s no point in mentioning it to her.” – undated, to Anna’s mother “I want to be completely free, and I want her to remain happy. Finally, I want her to understand that there are two men within me: one who is frivolous, capricious, fickle, madly in love with fantasy and the unexpected, over whom neither she nor anyone else will have the slightest hold… The other is an honest man, a profound admirer of all that is beautiful, true and good…’ – undated, to Anna’s mother [Missing at the top of pp. 5 and 6]. She seems to have acted as a go-between for her daughter and Dumas, who sets the record straight here. ‘You ask me, dear Madam, what I have to reproach you for. Here it is: I hold it against you that you did not appeal to my loyalty and tact when I was foolish enough to take an interest in Anna. Your duty at the time was to tell me what sort of person she was—you who knew her—and to ask me to become her friend rather than making it easier for me to become her lover… after a month, it was already clear to me that her character would never be compatible with mine… I struggled for four years. I made myself a slave to that petty nature. I performed miracles of patience, contrary to my own nature… She must leave, for as long as we remain in the same town and in the same country, we shall achieve nothing… I swear to you that it is with the deepest sorrow that I have come to this conclusion… As for the question of money, you know it has always been of very little consequence to me – s.d. To Anna’s mother. ‘After giving it careful thought, I have decided not to write to Anna. It would lead nowhere…’ – August 1859. ‘ I have told you and I repeat that you are the one I love and hold in the highest esteem in the whole world. Strip this feeling of all concerns of vulgar love and jealousy… and you will inspire as much happiness as I feel. ’ – 15 July 1861. ‘In your conscience, what are my duties towards you, what are my rights towards myself…. Do you believe I can still be your lover? ’ – [Naples], undated. ‘Life is sad and man is foolish… As for my father, he is preoccupied only with his fiery temperament and his beautiful blonde mistress, who is quite simply just like the others.’ – undated. ‘ I see, I eat, I sleep; my body feels better at times, but my mind is always restless.” – undated. He is in Florence. “And Demarquey, who wrote to me asking me to stand for election to the Academy. He won’t miss a single opportunity.”
Enclosed:
- 2 notes from a little girl named ‘Simone’ to Mrs Ribes
- A photograph of Alexandre Dumas the Younger with the handwritten inscription ‘Ecce homo A.D.’.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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