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a letter from the president of the united states to his wife, the first lady of the united statesseveral old papers are stacked on top of each other on a white surfacea handwritten letter written in black ink on a piece of paperseveral old letters are stacked on top of each other on a white surfacefour books are stacked on top of each other on a white surfaceseveral open books with writing on them sitting on top of each other
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135 - J.-H. Rosny Jeune (1859–1948), writer, President of the Acad…
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Estimate €1,000 - €2,000
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J.-H. Rosny Jeune (1859–1948), writer, President of the Académie Goncourt A collection of correspondence and four publications FIND THE FULL AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS LOT IN OUR ONLINE AUCTION CATALOGUE Over 170 letters and postcards, 1925–1948, addressed to René Benjamin, concerning primarily the governance and disputes within the executive committee of the Académie Goncourt between 1940 and 1945, including: Letter from the sender, Ploubazlanec, 7 June 1939; Sacha Guitry’s candidacy Note drafted and read by J.-H. Rosny the Younger at the lunch on 13 March 1940, organising the succession following the death of his brother, J.-H. Rosny the Elder (which occurred on 15 February 1940) Letter from the author, Ploubazlanec, 18 March 1940; marked ‘Confidential’, this letter illustrates the escalating tensions within the Académie Goncourt; In it, Rosny lambasts the attitude of Lucien Descaves (whom he ironically nicknames ‘the Prosecutor of the Commune’) regarding the rules of succession to the presidency and leaks to the press. Letter from the author, Ploubazlanec, 25 March 1940; proposes a radical measure: the exclusion of Jean Ajalbert and Lucien Descaves from the famous monthly lunches at Drouant Letter from the author, Ploubazlanec, 21 July 1940; in which he expresses his dismay at France’s lightning defeat and the occupation of Brittany, his adopted home Letter from the author, Ploubazlanec, 24 July 1940; in which he describes how he is attempting to overcome the trauma of the debacle through intellectual work Letter from the author, Ploubazlanec, 15 September 1940; recounts his first trip to Paris since the invasion, describing the occupied city, the difficulties in obtaining supplies and the impossibility of bringing together the members of the Académie Goncourt Letter from the author, Ploubazlanec, 26 June 1941; highlights the difficulties posed by the geographical situation and the circumstances of the members of the Académie Goncourt, who were then separated by the demarcation line Letter from the author, Ploubazlanec, 6 January 1942; a new crisis caused by Jean Ajalbert, who contested the validity of Pierre Champion’s election Letter from the author, Ploubazlanec, 6 July 1942; the death of Léon Daudet and plans for his succession L.A.S., Ploubazlanec, 11 April 1943; the paper shortage under the Occupation, which halted the publication of his collected works and threatened his income L.A.S., Ploubazlanec, 22 April 1943; tensions and divisions within the Goncourt committee Letter from the author, Ploubazlanec, 28 September 1943; behind the scenes at the Académie Goncourt, where personal concerns and literary electoral strategies intertwine L.A.S., Ploubazlanec, 3 January 1944; discusses the ‘secret’ legal strategy employed by the Goncourt Academy to renew its executive committee and maintain its legal status despite the war and the dispersal of its members L.A.S., Ploubazlanec, 14 March 1944; the awarding of the 1943 Prix Goncourt (which could not have been presented in December) and the revelation of the individual votes cast by the academicians L.A.S., Ploubazlanec, 21 May 1944; depicts a man exhausted by the internal quarrels within the Académie Goncourt (a fresh attack by Jean Ajalbert) and by the ravages of the war, which were now directly affecting his property in Brittany Letter from the author, Ploubazlanec, 8 November 1944; support for René Benjamin, who had been arrested and interned, with Rosny arguing for a distinction between ‘crimes of opinion’ (writing) and acts of criminal collaboration (speculation, treason) *La Carapace* Paris, Calmann-Lévy, 1914 First edition, one of 12 copies on custom-sized vellum paper, no. 2 Paperback, untrimmed Signed autograph copy Les furies Paris, J. Ferenczi et fils, 1928 First edition on Alfa vellum Paperback, 19 x 12.5 cm Signed autograph dedication *L’enlèvement* Paris, J. Ferenczi et fils, 1930 First edition Paperback, 19 x 12 cm Signed autograph dedication *Les beaux yeux de Paris* Paris, Les éditions de France, 1926 First edition, press copy Paperback, 19 x 12 cm Signed autograph dedication 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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