BRASSENS, Georges (1921-1981), poète, auteur-compositeur et interprète français.

L.A.S. "Jo", to Henri Delpont. Paris, May 1, 1940. 2 pp. in-8. Double sheet of small checkered paper. Very nice letter from the young Brassens, then 18 years old, addressed to his childhood friend. "[...] Then I see that you don't breathe the air of the capital, it's wrong, believe me [...]. For my part, I assure you that if I were forced to return (to Sète), it would be very painful for me because in Paris there is everything you need to be happy. My week of rest being over, I came back to the factory. It's a habit to take. I went to see Guy Berry to whom I presented "Nobody will ever know". He likes this song, he's definitely going to record it. If in a few days he'd like to come, write to me, I'll find another job. (At Renault of course). And the book he's working on with Victor is coming along nicely. If it's finished, send me a copy and I'll suggest it to a publisher. I can't think of anything else to say to you, except that I still hope to see you arrive. Think carefully about the pros and cons. It's true that certain things are holding you back in Sète". Georges Brassens had left Sète for Paris in February 1940 and was hired as a specialist labourer at Renault's Billancourt factory. He and Henri Delpont attended the same school in Sète (together with Roger Thérond, future director of Paris-Match, Mario Poletti and Louis Bestiou). Brassens regarded Delpont as his "alter ego", his best friend. He mentioned one of his first songs (filed with the SACEM in 1942) "Personne ne saisura". This love song had been written in 1939; Brassens proposed it to the singer and actor in vogue at the time, Guy Berry.