260 - PROUST (Marcel), 1871–1922.

PROUST (Marcel), 1871–1922. Autograph letter signed “Marcel Proust,” undated [fall 1905], 15 pp., in-12 format on paper with a mourning border, [to Gabriel Mourey], with a small red stamp from the collection of Robert de Montesquiou. A very beautiful and moving letter written in the weeks following the death of his mother, Jeanne Proust (September 28, 1905). Still devastated by grief, Proust confides to Mourey his utter despair: “I no longer have any reason to be in this world.” He recalls the close bond that united him with his mother, “the only person I saw, whom I loved,” but also the financial upheavals caused by her passing. His fortune would diminish considerably; his mother, “an admirable organizer of practical life,” had managed everything for him, while he himself admitted to “knowing nothing about life” and being “a spendthrift.” He therefore plans to leave the family apartment, which has become too expensive but is steeped in memories of every hour spent with her. The letter also addresses Gabriel Mourey’s concerns regarding his magazine *Les Arts de la Vie*. Despite his new circumstances, Proust offers a personal contribution of two or three hundred francs and waives his copyright to the fragments of *Sésame* and *Les Lys*. He explains at length, however, why it is difficult for him to ask his acquaintances for financial support: as a “young man” who has always received the courtesies and favors of society without ever having been in a position to return them, he would feel ill-equipped to ask for their assistance today. Quite different, he emphasizes, is the case of Robert de Montesquiou, whom Mourey had specifically mentioned to him as a potential source of support. Proust had just received notes from him regarding *Les Arts de la Vie*, which he deemed “very warm toward you, friendly, and charming.” Montesquiou, who “has more or less helped everyone,” can legitimately call on others; his friendship itself is “a gift” that gives him the right to be demanding. He recalls the pleasures, celebrations, and privileges with which the count has showered his circle and emphasizes “his unique and universal position and [his] admirable zeal.” Proust, however, elegantly defends himself against being burdened with a task for which he himself has just declared his inability: he mentions Montesquiou only because Mourey had assured him of his support. The letter concludes with Proust’s exhaustion, as he must still respond to the countless expressions of sympathy received since his mother’s death. A particularly poignant document on Proust’s grief, but also a valuable account of Robert de Montesquiou’s role as a mediator and driving force in Parisian literary and social life. Includes its original cultural property export certificate from the Ministry of Culture.