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three black and white photos of a man in a suit and tiefrench poster for a concert in paris on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the liberation of the french peoplesome old papers are stacked on top of each other on a white surfacean open book with a picture of a man in a suit and tiea lot of old papers and letters on the tablean image of a bunch of papers with a picture of a man in a suitan old book with a drawing of a tower on top of itseveral old black and white photos of men in suits and tiesa lot of old papers with handwriting on themseveral old books with handwriting on them sitting on top of each othera book with a picture of a man in a hat on top of itseveral old papers are stacked on top of each other on a white surfacean open book with a bunch of papers on top of itthree old books with writing on them sitting next to each otherseveral old papers are stacked on top of each other on a white surface
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39 - René Benjamin and the art of public speaking: a passionate a…
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Estimate €1,000 - €2,000
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René Benjamin and the art of public speaking: a passionate and lucrative pursuit Lot comprising manuscripts, correspondence, publications and miscellaneous items FIND THE FULL AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS LOT IN OUR ONLINE AUCTION CATALOGUE The Université des Annales and its lectures Founded in 1907 by Madeleine-Yvonne Sarcey-Brisson, the Université des Annales (located on Rue Saint-Georges in Paris) became one of the capital’s most popular centres of social and intellectual life, reaching its peak in the 1920s and 1930s. Here, literature, theatre, history and poetry were discussed before an audience comprising Parisian high society, the majority of whom were women. For the women of the time (notably the first generation to have had access to girls’ secondary schools), it was a privileged way of continuing their education whilst taking part in a highly prominent social activity. To extend the reach of these lectures beyond Paris, the Brisson family drew on a media empire: Adolphe Brisson (the father) ran the family’s broader-reaching journal, *Les Annales politiques et littéraires*, until his death in 1925. His wife, Madeleine-Yvonne Sarcey, ran the Université des Annales and the lecture series with an iron fist. On his father’s death in 1925, Pierre Brisson supported his mother by taking over the management of the *Annales* before becoming, a few years later, the chief executive of the newspaper *Le Figaro*. Not content with Parisian salons or the Université des Annales, René Benjamin masterfully exploited the extensive network of commercial geography societies, which were better established in the provinces (Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, etc.), circles that attracted the upper middle class, major merchants, local dignitaries and military officers. 97 L.A.S./P.A.S., 1921–1948, Adolphe Brisson, Madeleine-Yvonne Sarcey-Brisson, addressed to René Benjamin 21 issues of *Conferencia*, the journal of the University of the Annales, 1922–1934, each containing a lecture by René Benjamin Handwritten notes on loose sheets by René Benjamin on the organisation of his lectures, lists of his contacts, his travels, topics to be covered, etc.. Several files of incoming correspondence regarding requests for lectures and expressions of thanks, leaflets and programme announcements, posters, press cuttings, etc. Handwritten drafts of lectures: To students of literature: Germany–Italy–Spain, 2 April 1938, 4 pp., in-4; The poetic reasons we have for loving Great Britain, at the home of the Marquis de Castellane, 29 May 1923, 5 pp., in-4; ‘Our Fine Franco-English Friendship Before the World in 1938’, Anglo-French Society, Birmingham, 9 July 1938, 10 pp., in-8 Incidents during the conference at Loches in November 1926, a typewritten account published in the *Réveil Lochois*, 15 pp., in-4 7 photographs of René Benjamin giving a lecture File on the Nevers conference case and the Council of State’s ‘Benjamin’ judgement, 1930–1936, including: Handwritten copy of the municipal decree of 11 March 1930 prohibiting the conference from taking place Press cuttings Correspondence received and exchanged, notably with Dr Subert, chairman of the Nevers Tourist Office, and André Morillot, a lawyer at the Council of State, 1930–1936 Handwritten notes and draft letters written by René Benjamin Leaflet from the Nevers branch of Action Française entitled ‘Périn Unmasked (or a nasty story)’ Ban on René Benjamin’s lecture organised in Orléans on 1 December 1930 Typewritten copy of Mr Morillot’s closing speech delivered on 19 May 1933 Letter from the author, La Charité, 13 March 1930, from Léon Riboud, member of the Action Française branch in La Charité The attack in Grenoble, 15 December 1933 Press cuttings René Benjamin’s handwritten notes on loose sheets, in-8 Letter, Paris, 6 January 1934, Camille Chautemps, Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Over 26 documentation files compiled by René Benjamin for each of his lectures, including The Art of the Lecture, handwritten notes by René Benjamin on loose sheets Aristophanes (1925 and 1942), press cuttings, articles, lecture outline, René Benjamin’s handwritten notes on loose sheets Chateaubriand’s *Mémoires d’Outre-Tombe* (1933), Press cuttings, correspondence, articles, lecture outline, handwritten notes by René Benjamin on loose sheets FIND THE FULL AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS LOT IN OUR ONLINE AUCTION CATALOGUE
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About the sale René Benjamin, the 20th-century Balzac scholar
Auction location
Auction time 10/06/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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