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an old handwritten letter from a french soldier to a french soldiera bunch of old letters are stacked on top of each othermany papers that are on top of each otheran open book with handwriting on it sitting on top of a tablemany books and papers on the table togetherseveral old papers are stacked on top of each other on a white surfacetwo old black and white photos of a woman sitting in a chairsix books of french literature are stacked on top of each otherfour books are stacked on top of each other on a white surface
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45 - Jacques Copeau (1888–1949), critic, director and theatre man…
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Estimate €3,000 - €6,000
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Description
Jacques Copeau (1888–1949), critic, director and theatre manager A substantial collection comprising correspondence, photographs, publications and press cuttings FIND THE FULL AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS LOT IN OUR ONLINE AUCTION CATALOGUE A rare collection of letters, comprising 59 letters written by Jacques Copeau and 43 letters written by René Benjamin in reply, 1920–1946, letters from Jacques Copeau to René Benjamin, and 43 letters from René Benjamin in reply, 1921–1947, including: Letter from the author, Paris, Le Vieux-Colombier, 4 May 1920; the first pieces of advice given to René Benjamin Letter from the author, Paris, Le Vieux-Colombier, 2 February 1921; review of the manuscript *Les Plaisirs du Hasard* Letter from the author, Givry (Yonne), 27 August 1923; a long and interesting letter revealing Copeau’s method – in which he pulls no punches – in criticising the manuscript of a new play (La Démocratie) written by René Benjamin, which he would like to propose to Jules Delacre, general secretary of the Théâtre du Marais in Brussels; Acting as a true mentor, Copeau criticises Benjamin for writing purely literary dialogue (“Comedic literature!”) instead of creating dramatic situations. He quotes Flaubert to emphasise that theatre must “get it right”, that is to say, be visual and organic. He practically rewrites the play for Benjamin, suggesting that characters be merged, the setting unified (the rule of the three unities is not far off) and ‘muscle’ injected into the plot. This valuable exchange of letters shows how Copeau, through his demands—which were at times tyrannical but always fraternal—pushed the playwrights of his time to move beyond mere entertainment and achieve a form of theatrical truth. L.A.S., Brussels, 6 December 1923, René Benjamin deeply affected by the death of Maurice Barrès L.A.S., 12 January 1924; Copeau, exhausted by the day-to-day running of his theatre, decides to close the Vieux Colombier in Paris to embark on the ‘Copiaus’ venture in Burgundy Letter from the author, Pernand-Vergelesses (Côte-d’Or), 2 January 1926; a long letter from Copeau in which he speaks candidly about his break with Paris, his quest for solitude in Burgundy (in Pernand-Vergelesses) and the almost religious significance he now attaches to his life and work The battle for the succession at the head of the Comédie-Française Letter from the author, Pernand-Vergelesses (Côte-d’Or), 20 July 1929 L.A.S., Pernand-Vergelesses (Côte-d’Or), 8 November 1929; Copeau analyses the failure of his attempt to take over the leadership of the Comédie-Française Letter from the author, Paris, 14 October 1936; René Benjamin has just submitted a play about Balzac to him; Copeau offers him a blunt critique, not only of the work itself but also of the theatre’s very capacity to portray the lives of great men Letter from the author, Pernand-Vergelesses, 18 March 1945; a fine letter in which two divergent ideological viewpoints are set against one another, with Copeau seeking to dismantle Benjamin’s prejudices Letter from the author, Saint Grégoire Clinic, Saint Symphorien, 1 April 1945; René Benjamin is hospitalised; a deeply moving letter in which a father pays tribute to his lost son Handwritten notes by René Benjamin on loose octavo sheets and press cuttings arranged chronologically, detailing the career and personality of Jacques Copeau, as well as Benjamin’s lectures and writings on Copeau, 1921–1941 Documentation produced by the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier, 1920–1925: *Les Cahiers du Vieux-Colombier*, No. 1, November 1920, *L’école du Vieux-Colombier*, and No. 2, November 1921, *Les amis du Vieux-Colombier*, 49 and 41 pp., in-12 Le Vieux-Colombier, programme No. 12, 19 April 1922, 56 pp., in-8 Le Vieux-Colombier, programme No. 4, 23 October 1922, 56 pp., in-8 Le Vieux-Colombier, 1922–1923 season, 16 pp. and 1923–1924 season, 20 pp. Le Vieux-Colombier, introduction, 1923–1924 season programme, 56 pp. Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier, 1924–1925 season, under the direction of Jean Tedesco, 12 pp. Les Compagnons de Notre-Dame, at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier, 1924 The Emile Fabre Affair and the Management of the Comédie Française, 1929, correspondence and press cuttings La Compagnie des Quinze (formerly Les Copiaus), directed by Michel Saint-Denis, nephew of Jean Copeau, based at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier, including: La Compagnie des Quinze, theatre season January–April 1931, in-8 brochure Lanceurs de graines, a three-act play by Giono, performed by La Compagnie des Quinze at the Théâtre Montmartre, leaflet La Compagnie des Quinze, presentation, February 1933, in-8 brochure Handwritten notes by René Benjamin on loose in-8 sheets and press cuttings Autograph letter, 5 April 1932, from Michel Saint-Denis, founder of the company and nephew of Copeau Etc... 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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