81 - BALMONT, Konstantin Dmitrievich, alias DON (1867–1942)

BALMONT, Konstantin Dmitrievich, alias DON (1867–1942) Lot consisting of 1 L.A.S. and 4 C.A.S. addressed to Jurgis Kasimirovich BALTRUCHAITIS (1873–1944) between 1899 and 1901, in Russian, with stamps and postmarks, including: -Postcard dated October 23, 1899 "Jurgis, Jurgis, you with the resonant name! Stay with me, my captive thought. I remember all your songs, Your wavering voice, the sparkle in oblivion, The gloomy light in the distant expanse, The roar of the storm!—The sea, oh, the sea! K. Balmont.” -Postcard dated August 5, 1900 "I rejoice at my return to Russia—both because I will see you all again, and because I long to be in one place only: in my room, among my books and belongings—and because something within my soul has broken. Is there really such an upheaval at the age of 33? Is this truly the voice of the earthly valleys? (...) Sadly, infinitely sadly, the soul responds dully to the call, and the response leaves a bitter aftertaste. I have never been happy. And now it is too late. Too late! Midnight has struck. Farewell.” "I’m looking forward to returning to Russia—both because I’ll see all of you, and because I want to be in one place, in my own room, among my books and belongings, and because something inside me has snapped. Is it really true that 33 is such a turning point? Is this really a voice from the valleys of the earth? (...) Sadly, endlessly sadly, your soul will echo the call, and that echo leaves a bitter aftertaste. I have never been happy. And now it is already too late. Too late! It was midnight. Farewell.” Note Upon entering Moscow University in 1893, Jurgis Kazimirovich Baltruchaïtis met, through Sergei Alexandrovich Poliakov (1874–1943), the man who would become a close friend until the end of his life: the tormented Konstantin Dimitrievich Balmont (1867–1942). An eminent poet of the Silver Age, his life consisted—as Valeriy I. Briussov, consist of nothing but love in all its forms, while his undeniably Symbolist work is imbued with such a strong spiritual (or even spiritualist) sentiment that his publications could be deemed provocative and banned, such as the poetry collection “Evil Spells - Злыя Чары" (see lot 32-27 in this catalog). His existential malaise, which drove him to attempt suicide twice, is undoubtedly the source of his unique inspiration—one that lies outside the real world—which the writer Andrei Bely described as follows: “He has been unable to harmonize within himself all the riches with which Nature has endowed him. He is an unrepentant squanderer of the soul’s treasures… He receives, squanders, receives, squanders. He gives them all back. He pours out all his creativity upon us. But he himself does not savor it.” In his correspondence with J.K. Baltruchaïtis, the most recurring themes are: their brotherly friendship, his despair, his love of the sea, and their poems. Beginning in the 1920s, the Balmont family faced difficult times, and their letters reflect the anxiety caused by their precarious circumstances. MC Provenance -Jurgis Kasimirovich Baltruchaïtis (1873–1944), Lithuanian diplomat and poet. -Their son, Jurgis Jurgissovich Baltruchaïtis (1903–1988), historian. -His wife, Hélène Baltruchaïtis (1908–2004), née Castel-Focillon, daughter of Henri Focillon (1881–1943). -Then through their descendants.