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several black and white photos of men sitting at a tableseveral old papers and old papers are piled together on a white surfacetwo black and white photos of a man in a suit and tie signing a documentseveral pages of a menu are stacked on top of each othersome old papers are stacked on top of each otherseveral old papers are stacked on top of each other on a tablean old letter from a man that is sitting on a tableseveral old papers with writing on them sitting on top of each othera pile of old letters and papers on a tablea letter written in black ink on a piece of paperseveral handwritten letters are displayed on a piece of papera close up of a piece of paper with handwriting on itan open book with a drawing of a woman and a manseveral old letters and envelopes sitting on top of each othersome old papers and papers are laying on a white surfacean old black and white photo of a newspaper with pictures of peopleseveral old papers are stacked on top of each other on a white surfacean old newspaper with a picture of a man sitting on a couchseveral papers are stacked on top of each other on a white surfaceseveral old papers with writing on them sitting on top of each othertwo books on a white background with a blue cover and a picture of a group of menthree books are lined up on top of each other on a white surfacea close up of a book with a bunch of writing on ittwo books sitting on top of each other on a white surface
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133 - The Académie Goncourt and René Benjamin, 1938–1948
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Estimate €1,500 - €2,500
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Description
The Académie Goncourt and René Benjamin, 1938–1948 A collection of correspondence, press cuttings, documents, photographs and publications FIND THE FULL AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS LOT IN OUR ONLINE AUCTION CATALOGUE Société littéraire des Goncourt Typewritten copy of Edmond de Goncourt’s will dated 17 July 1888, 5 pp., in-4 Handwritten copy of the long letter written by Mrs Pauline Zeller on the death of Edmond de Goncourt, 22 August 1896, held at the Primoli Library in Rome, 15 pp. in-8 Rules of procedure, 7 pp. printed, in-4 Extracts from the minutes of proceedings, 1943 Typewritten copies of two letters addressed to ministers, 19 November and 18 December 1940, explaining that they were unable to fulfil their obligations as set out in the statutes due to the division of France into two zones Restaurant Drouant, 11 menus, 1929–1940 Election and induction of René Benjamin in May 1938 Induction speech by René Benjamin at the Académie Goncourt, June 1938, handwritten draft, with corrections, deletions and additions, over 55 pp., in-4 and in-8 Bound in-4 notebook, René Benjamin’s handwritten notes covering the 253rd sitting of 25 January 1939 through to the 261st sitting of 13 March 1940, 17 pp. Over 160 letters from the sender and postmarked letters, May and June 1938, offering congratulations, including: Letter from the sender, 27 May 1938, from Tristan Bernard, writer Letter from the author, 1 June 1938, Paul Roque, illustrator and draughtsman, with a humorous drawing in ink and watercolour entitled ‘Could the Parisian from Paris really hesitate between them?’ P.A.S. with an ink sketch, 26 May 1938, from Jacques Simon, painter and engraver, illustrated with an intaglio engraving entitled ‘Sous-bois’ Hugues de Beaumont, painter – André Bellesort, poet and essayist - Jean Jacques Bernard, playwright and novelist - Georges Bonnamour, writer - Henri Clouard, journalist and literary critic - Lucien Corpechot, writer and journalist - Maurice Delamain, writer - Robert Denoël, publisher - Marshal Franchet d’Espérey - Charles Gos, Swiss writer and journalist - Philippe Hériat, actor and writer - Louis Latzarus, journalist and novelist - Mary Marquet, actress and member of the Comédie Française - Camille Mauclair, poet and novelist - Max Maurey, playwright and director of the Théâtre des Variétés - Georges Oudard, writer - Serge Rovinsky, set designer - Maurice Rostand, poet and novelist - Fabien Sollar, playwright and librettist - Georges Suarez, writer and essayist - Jérôme and Jean Tharaud, writers - Hélène Vacaresco, Franco-Romanian woman of letters - Jean des Vallières, writer - Fernand Vandérem, playwright and novelist - Noël Vesper, royalist writer Léo Larguier, poet, short-story writer, literary critic and essayist, elected in June 1936 32 letters and notes, 1939–1943, addressed to René Benjamin André Billy, writer, elected in December 1943 as the fourth candidate to succeed the historian Pierre Champion, but his election was blocked by the Benjamin/Guitry faction; his election was confirmed on 23 December 1944 2 letters (L.A.S./L.S.), 1945, addressed to René Benjamin, including Handwritten notes on loose in-8 sheets by René Benjamin Election of Pierre Champion in December 1941 to replace J.-H. Rosny the elder Press cuttings, press release, obituary dated 29 June 1942 Lucien Descaves, founding member of the Académie Goncourt, president in 1945, nicknamed ‘Le Turc’ 3 letters, 1937–1939, addressed to René Benjamin Press cuttings Handwritten notes on loose sheets in-8 by René Benjamin Jean Ajalbert, writer and journalist, elected in 1917 11 letters from the sender and postcards, 1927–1939, addressed to René Benjamin The trial, 1947–1948 Two handwritten summonses written and signed by Alexandre Arnoux, secretary, dated 20 December 1947 ‘to provide explanations regarding the circumstances in which you awarded a prize to Goncourt’ and ‘proposal to strike two members off the register’ P.A.S., 29 September 1948, Alexandre Arnoux, secretary, invitation to proceed with the election of a successor to J.H. Rosny the Younger Handwritten draft, 52 pp., in-4, with deletions, corrections and additions, written by René Benjamin, on his meeting with the members of the Goncourt Academy, their personalities (Lucien Descaves, Elémir Bourges, Jules Renard, Rosny the Elder, Léon Daudet, Barbentane, Ponchon and Courteline) Statement and memorandum written in the hand of J.H. Rosny the Younger, 2 pp., in-4 Copy of a typewritten letter written by J.H. Rosny the Younger on 28 January 1948 Copy of the judgement on the motion to dismiss brought by René Benjamin and Sacha Guitry against the Académie Goncourt, typewritten, 5 pp., in-4 Various documents relating to the trial: minutes of the hearing, pleadings, closing arguments, correspondence from Maître Jean Dars, René Benjamin’s solicitor, press cuttings, handwritten notes on loose sheets by René Benjamin, a typewritten draft of the sequence of events drawn up by Maître Jean Dars, the statutes of the Société littéraire des Goncourt, press cuttings 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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