187 - CÉLINE (Louis-Ferdinand), 1894–1961.

CÉLINE (Louis-Ferdinand), 1894–1961. Autograph letter signed “LF Celine,” addressed to Mikkelsen (c/o his Danish attorney Thorvald Mikkelsen, in Copenhagen), December 27, 1947, 2 pp. large folio in blue ink, to his French lawyer Albert Naud (red ink receipt stamp dated December 31, 1947). A very interesting letter written in exile, concerning Céline’s disputes with the publisher Denoël and, above all, the genesis of “À l’agité du bocal,” his famous and scathing response to Sartre. Having been released from prison six months earlier but still detained in Denmark, Céline found himself in a precarious financial and publishing situation at the time. In conflict with Jeanne Loviton, known as Jean Voilier, who had taken over as head of Denoël after Robert Denoël’s assassination, he emphatically refused the 1,000 kroner she had just sent him: ““I want to earn my living; I don’t want handouts, and certainly not chains!”” Henri Philippon then set out to find him a new publisher and had to travel to Copenhagen accompanied by Fasquelle: “It’s more serious. […] I’ll sign with him.” Above all, the letter provides an interesting account of the early fate of “À l’agité du bocal.” Having discovered a few weeks earlier the accusation leveled against him by Sartre in “Portrait of an Anti-Semite,” Céline had just written his furious rebuttal in Denmark: “I’m also putting Sartre in his place so that everyone can learn a lesson. That little bastard has exposed himself—too bad for him. He’ll be skewered.” He immediately justifies the necessity of his response: “If I say nothing: ‘Silence implies consent, admission, confession!’ Damn it, that’s not my case!” Céline had submitted his text to Jean Paulhan and was still awaiting his decision: “We’ll see if Paulhan publishes it.” Just a few days after this letter, in early January 1948, Paulhan ultimately rejected the pamphlet. “To the Restless One in the Jar” would be published the following year in Albert Paraz’s *Le Gala des vaches* and, at the same time, in an extremely rare booklet printed in a run of 200 copies by Pierre Lanauve de Tartas. A valuable document on Céline at a time when, from his Danish exile, he was simultaneously attempting to break ties with Denoël, find a new publisher, and prepare for his sensational return to the French literary scene. Includes its original cultural property export certificate from the Ministry of Culture. Two small rust-colored spots in the margins (traces of a rusty pin or paperclip). Enclosed is another handwritten letter: ""LF Céline," addressed to Mikkelsen, Copenhagen, June 7 [1947], 1 page, large folio size, in gray ink, from the same sender (receipt stamp in red ink dated June 12, 1947): "Dear Counselor, I am sending you, in complete confidence, the letter from Counselor Fourcade, in accordance with our agreed-upon arrangements… for whatever purpose you may need it. I hope that, together with Mikkelsen, you have been able to thoroughly assess my chances… Nor do I forget Maître Antoine […] I also believe him to be quite active and skilled, and of very good family and reputation in Montmartre, a village you are familiar with. All of this is important. […] "" An interesting letter regarding the legal steps taken to secure Céline’s release and prevent his extradition to France. Still detained in Denmark, the writer was feverishly coordinating the efforts of his various French (Fourcade and Naud) and Danish (Mikkelsen). He also mentions Mr. [Robert] Antoine, a Parisian lawyer and his former next-door neighbor at 4 rue Girardon in Montmartre. Céline would be released on June 24, 1947—17 days later.