DUMAS ALEXANDRE: Fils (1824-1895)

DUMAS ALEXANDRE: Fils (1824-1895) French author and playwright. A.L.S., A. Dumas f., four pages, 8vo, n.p., n.d., to [Adolphe Desbarolles] ( ‘Cher ami’), in French. Dumas writes a warm, charming letter to his friend, commencing ‘Oui, je suis a Paris et tres heureux de vous voir en si bonne sante physique, intellectuelle et morale. Quand vous vous disposerez a revenir me voir, prevenez-moi par un mot, la veille, pour etre sur de me trouver. Je ne voudrais pas vous savoir courant les rues de Paris intuilement le matin par ce froid-la. Nous pourrions meme, ce qui vaudrait encore mieux, dejeuner ensemble ce jour-la, a l'heure qui vous est habituelle. Vous n'auriez qu'a la dire’ (Translation: ‘Yes, I am in Paris and very happy to see you in such good physical, intellectual and moral health. When you are about to come back and see me, let me know by a note the day before to be sure you will find me. I wouldn’t want to see you running around the streets of Paris in the morning in this cold weather. We could even, which would be much better, have lunch together that day, at your usual time. You would just have to say it’) and further remarking ‘Je vois que vous avez bien lu l'article sur la censure. Cela ne m'etonne pas. Vous lisez toujours tres bien tout ce que j'ecris parce que ce n'est pas seulement avec les yeux’ (Translation: ‘I see you read the article on censorship correctly. That does not surprise me. You always read everything I write very well because it's not just with your eyes’). A letter of interesting association. VG Adolphe Desbarolles (1801-1886) French artist and writer considered the father of modern chiromancy (palm reading). Desbarolles was not only a friend of Dumas fils, but of his father too. Indeed, Desbarolles concluded after reading the palm of Dumas pere that the writer would die at 104 years of age following a duel.