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an old handwritten letter with a pen on it sitting on top of a piece of paperan old handwritten letter from a man who is writing on a piece of papera piece of paper that has some writing on it
ROUILLAC

178 - Roland Engerand (1892–1951), a writer and poet who made Tour…
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Estimate €100 - €200
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Roland Engerand (1892–1951), a writer and poet who made Tours his home 5 letters from the author, 1948–1949, addressed to René Benjamin and his son François, and a typescript of a Christmas story, including Letter from the author, Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire, 27 September 1948 Dear Sir, The benefactor whose name you asked me for last Saturday is an American doctor, Dr Jackson, who, in 1846, had the idea of using ether by inhalation to alleviate suffering. And it was Velpeau, from Tours, who introduced this anaesthetic practice to France. Before Jackson, people had to make do with low-grade soporifics to relieve pain. In antiquity, Dioscorides used an extract of mandrake roots. In the Middle Ages, Guy de Chauliac refined this method somewhat. Later, my compatriot Liégeard, from Caen, recommended applying pressure to the body above the affected area. A year after Jackson’s discovery, a Scotsman from Edinburgh, Simpson, introduced chloroform. Then came Wells with nitrous oxide, Snow with amyl, and the Austrian Koller with cocaine, in 1884. That is the extent of my knowledge… What a great benefactor will discover the substance capable of permanently anaesthetising human folly… and moral suffering too!… Before concluding this reply, I should like to tell you of the emotion I felt the other day – during a visit which I was forced to cut short so as not to tire you – when I found you in that nursing home, and hearing you express feelings which, whilst overwhelming me and rendering me speechless – for I was far from imagining that you would deem my obscure works worthy of such a reward – at the same time unleashed within me such sweet joy… Living in solitude, I would never have dared to hope that I would, so unexpectedly, earn your literary esteem and affection… The words you offered me—so warm, and so rare from you—have been the most magnificent and precious encouragement to me. I shall endeavour to prove myself worthy of them… And since you have gone so far as to thank me for the pleasure that some of my writings have had the honour of giving you, allow me to present you with – so that you may read it when you are free from your present ailments – the manuscript of a novel dedicated to you… and which, despite its imperfections—the extent of which I am acutely aware—I had intended to submit to the Hors-Goncourt, had it been held next year… I would like to know your opinion on it… for no opinion could interest me more than yours… I apologise for having associated your name with a work whose shortcomings I deeply regret. But there is, in certain passages, a state of mind which seems to me capable of humbly aligning with your own… Next Saturday, I shall return to catch a glimpse of you… And I hope with all my heart to find you better prepared to return to Savonnières and completely free from the painful after-effects of the operations you have undergone. My most fervent wishes and prayers are with you during this unjust and new ordeal which, I am convinced, will now be brief… Life owes you such great recompense. And it knows, more often than one might think, how to acknowledge its past mistakes… L.A.S., Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire, 27 September 1948 Dear Sir and Friend, When we met yesterday, I was – as is my habit – in a world other than our own. And, in such cases, it always takes me quite a long time to reconnect with reality… however pleasant and alluring it may be… I was just coming back down to earth as we parted… And as I walked away from you, I deeply regretted not having seized the happy opportunity that presented itself to speak a little more intimately with one of the people dear to me, with whom I feel a true communion of souls… Yet I have many things to tell you; and, above all, I long to hear you say many things. We must meet again whilst you are staying at Le Plessis… When you come to Tours, do let me know, so that we may meet somewhere in the city. When you asked me what I was writing, I replied that the shadow of war was haunting me particularly at the moment. Presumably because my sons are now of an age to bear arms. I cannot bear, without rebellion, to see them suffer what I have suffered. We fought, from 1914 to 1918, so that you and they would no longer have to fight… And yet, in the meantime, I need to free myself from this defiance and lay bare my wound through certain memories that I would like to share with you once they have fully settled...” 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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