239 - KESSEL (Joseph), 1898–1979.

KESSEL (Joseph), 1898–1979. 6 letters from "Jef" to Germaine SABLON, [circa 1940–1947]. A beautiful collection of intimate letters from Joseph Kessel to the singer Germaine Sablon, his partner during the war years, blending romantic concerns, wartime events, travels, and confidences about his literary work. Germaine Sablon (1899–1985) would play an important role in the Resistance; after fleeing to London, she became the first performer of “Le Chant des Partisans” in 1943, for which Kessel and Maurice Druon wrote the lyrics. - Sunday evening, [June 9, 1940, probably]. A very beautiful letter from the time of the debacle, the content of which allows it to be dated to the eve of the evacuation of the Paris press. With no news from Germaine, Kessel is terribly worried: “The mail? Illness?” But his personal anguish merges with that of the nation: “You know the news. It’s possible that Paris will have to be evacuated tomorrow or the day after.” He then gives her his two alternative addresses: *Paris-Soir*, *Le Phare de la Loire*, Nantes, or *Paris-Soir*, Clermont-Ferrand. Kessel continues to work, however: “I wrote another article today.” He concludes with this deeply moving declaration to Germaine: “I think, I think, I think of you, and I send you my love with all my heart—a heart torn apart for France, a heart that could really use you.” - [Lisbon, undated, probably July–August 1940], 1 p., in-8. “My darling, if this letter reaches you, write back to me right away; I’m so anxious not to hear from you.” Kessel, overwhelmed by the heat in Lisbon, impatiently awaits news from Germaine. He mentions “Gérard,” through whose brother she might be able to obtain details about her “invitation” to Lisbon, and plans to seek some relief from the heat by visiting acquaintances. A very affectionate letter: “I’d so love to hear from you before then. Big hugs. Jef.” - Saturday, [undated], 1 p. in-8. An anxious letter concerning the serious illness of a loved one (“Pat?”). After receiving a letter from Germaine in Sanary, Kessel had to abruptly put his plans on hold: his loved one, suffering from a fever and severe headaches, was taken to Toulon, where doctors diagnosed him with meningitis. “I spent a week in anguish.” His condition is finally improving, and Kessel hopes to be able to bring him back to Paris. The illness also disrupts the young man’s plans; he had wanted to enlist in the paratroopers. Above all, it once again interrupts Kessel’s work: “And my book has been put on hold again”; he fears being overtaken by “another general catastrophe.” — London, July 8 [undated, probably 1946], 2 pp., in-8, on Royal Automobile Club letterhead. After a few messages that are difficult to decipher, he confides: “My book is coming along well; I’ve finally found the right formula,” then announces that he has completed a short story with which he declares himself very satisfied, “without modesty.” He hopes that another month of work will finally set him free. An affectionate letter in which he again expresses his longing for Germaine: “I miss you very much.” - [early January 1947], 2 pp., in-8. An important letter on the difficult process of writing *Le Tour du malheur*. Kessel thanks Germaine (then in South America, presumably in Brazil with her brother Jean) for her letter received on December 31 and for her “photo as a gaucho,” then extends his best wishes for 1947 to her, her mother, her sons, and Jean. Having returned from England, where he had gone to discuss a film contract, he sometimes envies Germaine’s life on the “fazenda” and dreams, once *Le Tour du malheur* is finished, of “setting sail” as well. He goes on to confide in her about the exhaustion caused by this immense undertaking: “This book is long, exhausting”; financial pressures constantly force him to set it aside for other work, before painstakingly picking up the thread of his writing again. He vows never to embark on a similar project again: short stories, novellas—yes, “but not this kind of mountain.” *Le Tour du malheur*, a vast four-volume epic, would not finally be published until 1950. Paris struck him as “difficult,” “tiring and dull,” and the sight of the name “Marjane” in large letters in advertisements provoked a violent irritation in him. This last anecdote is revealing of the postwar atmosphere: the sight of Marjane’s name—a major star of the Occupation who had since returned to the Parisian stage—made him “choke with pent-up anger,” all the more so when he addressed it to Germaine Sablon, who, for her part, had joined the Free French Forces. - [Paris, shortly after August 9, 1947], 1 p., in-8. Kessel, who had never stopped traveling, had only just received the obituary for one of Germaine’s brothers, André Sablon, a composer who died in Paris on August 9, 1947. Kessel had known him only briefly, but Germaine had