BRETON ANDRE: (1896-1966)

BRETON ANDRE: (1896-1966) French Writer and Poet. One of the main figures and co-founder of Surrealism. A very fine and interesting content A.L.S., ` André Breton´, one page, 4to, Paris, 28th January 1937, to an unidentified ` Mademoiselle´, in French. The letter is written in green ink. Breton refers to his celebrated work L´Amour Fou ("Mad Love"), published in 1937 the year of the present letter, which was the third part of his trilogy after Nadja. Breton states in part ` (encore moi) Voudriez-vous avoir la gentillesse de faire imprimer l´exemplaire sur japon, non pas comme je vous avais demandé, au nom de ma femme, mais ainsi: EXEMPLAIRE DE L´ONDINE. Ça ferait tout de même moins bourgeois, plus élégant...´ (Translation: " (me again) Would you be kind enough to have the copy printed on Japan paper, not as I asked you, in the name of my wife, but like this: COPY OF THE ONDINE. It would still be less bourgeois, more elegant...") Further Breton explains in more detail what he expects ` Je désirerais vingt exemplaires sur vélin rose de très bel effet, comme vous m´avez décrit... La bande du livre ne doit comporter qu´un mot, à composer dans le plus gros caractère possible: TOUJOURS...´ (Translation:" I would like twenty copies on pink vellum of very beautiful effect, as you described to me... The strip of the book must only contain one word, to be typed in the largest possible font: ALWAYS...") Before concluding Breton explains elegantly that he is in a difficult financial situation and expects that the publication will be prompt, saying ` Enfin, il me serait d´un très grand secours (préciser m´entrainerait trop loin, mais je vous l´assure) que ce livre parût au plus tôt...´ (Translation: " Finally, it would be of great help to me (to explain would take me too far, but I assure you it is so) if this book was published as soon as possible...") At the base of the page, Breton annotates again his full name and address ` André Breton, 42 rue Fontaine, Paris ´, his home in Pigalle since 1922. G to VG