Proust, Marcel 1871 1922, French Novelist (3 results)

8vo. 3 pp. Double sheet. Mourning border. To Albert-Émile Sorel. Cher monsieur, je ne peux vous dire la reconnaissance que je vous ai pour cette bonté de m'avoir écrit dans des jours pareils. Je vous en remercie de tout mon coeur. Si je ne gardais le lit, j'aurais tâché de vous trouver pour avoir de votre bouche certains détails sur l'état de monsieur Sorel qui seuls pourraient me faire envisager l'avenir avec plus de confiance. Mais ce que dit le concierge (j'y envoie chaque jour l'un ou l'autre mais ne fais pas laisser de cartes chaque fois) est trop vague pour que je puisse en tirer aucune conclusion sur la gravité ni même sur la nature du mal. Il semble que votre lettre respire un peu d'espérance. Je ne peux pas vous dire la joie et l'émotion que cela m'a données. Votre père semble si fort, si peu lassé par le poids formidable de son labeur sublime, que l'on peut, il me semble, espérer. Hélas dans ce « Sésame » dont vous me parlez j'avais mis justement une note où je parlais de sa santé []. Je pense à vous comme à lui c'est-à-dire constamment ; je vous demande de croire, dans votre inquiétude et votre tristesse que vous avez un ami qui ne cesse de penser affectueusement à vous."Translated: "Dear Sir, I cannot express the gratitude I feel for your kindness in writing to me during such days. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If I were not confined to bed, I would have tried to find you to hear certain details about Mr. Sorel from your own mouth, which alone could make me contemplate the future with more confidence. However, what the concierge says (I send someone there every day, but don't have cards left each time) is too vague for me to draw any conclusions about the seriousness or even the nature of the illness. It seems that your letter breathes a bit of hope. I cannot tell you the joy and emotion it has brought me. Your father seems so strong, so little worn down by the tremendous weight of his sublime work, that one can, it seems to me, hope. Alas, in that 'Sesame' you mentioned, I had precisely written a note where I spoke of his health [.]. I think of you as I do of him, that is, constantly; please believe, in your worry and sadness, that you have a friend who never ceases to think affectionately of you.".

8vo. 1 1/2 pp. Mourning paper. To Albert-Émile Sorel. Votre lettre me rend bien malheureux. Vous êtes trop bon de m'avoir écrit. Je vous demande de ne plus prendre cette peine. Je vous remercie aussi d'avoir compris et décidé que le « monsieur » était dorénavant un poids mort qui ne correspondait plus à rien et qui devait tomber, puisque je suis heure par heure vos anxiétés avec un coeur d'ami. Je vois sans cesse devant moi votre père, son génie, sa bonté, sa beauté. Et je n'ai jamais eu plus de force de désir que pour souhaiter sa guérison et votre bonheur".Translated:"Your letter makes me very unhappy. You are too kind to have written to me. I ask you not to go through this trouble anymore. I also thank you for understanding and deciding that the 'monsieur' was now a dead weight that no longer corresponded to anything and had to fall, as I follow your anxieties hour by hour with a friend's heart. I constantly see before me your father, his genius, his kindness, his beauty. And I have never had a stronger desire than to wish for his recovery and your happiness.".

8vo. 4 pp. Double sheet. The building at 102 Boulevard Haussmann where he lived has just been sold, and he must move. "I cannot express how much your invitation delights me. Unfortunately, I cannot accept it, but I had such a strong desire to see you again, and now that I am allowed by your little note, I will be able to do so in better days. At the moment, more than ever, I cannot make plans for tomorrow. To all the uncertainties arising from my health condition, you may have heard from Billy or Mrs. de Chevigné, that the house where I have lived for so long has been sold to a banker who is turning it into a bank. I must find an apartment in a few days, another one for my furniture, which will never fit into the relatively small one I will probably take. And in a storage facility, I fear that the Louis XV armchairs, sofas, tapestries, and everything else will deteriorate, and all of this is a great strain for an invalid. All these details are quite insignificant and tiresome for you. (.) I am truly overwhelmed by moral concerns and physical suffering. Rather than leaving you in doubt, I prefer to decline. But I promise you that if on Monday evening I am capable of moving, I will come to say goodnight after dinner (don't think about the question of transportation, never. Like all people who cannot walk much, I have a taxi by the month). Perhaps by then, I will have the opportunity to thank you at Mr. de L.'s or at the Princess de Polignac's (if I am feeling well on those evenings). Several volumes of my work will be published soon, and I will send them to you. Please accept, Madam, my respectful regards. Marcel Proust." Exceptional text.