Jean COCTEAU (1889-1963) - Lot 58

Jean COCTEAU (1889-1963) 3 L.A.S., August-December 1960; 1page in-8 on Santo-Sospir letterhead, and 2pages in-4, one envelope. Santo-Sospir August 12. "My heart knew. That's probably what prompted me to write you this little poem. I have not yet received the toro muerto"... Saint-Jean September 18. About the reissue of Corps mémorable. "Don't worry about this 'cabal'. That's how you earn your place in literary heaven. As far as I'm concerned, if it were up to me, I'd refuse the republication without my poem (Dominique Éluard did the same for all Paul's friends)"... Milly December 5. "The Nancy adventure was a journalist's fable. I was simply a little tired from an hour of chasing autographs on my feet. [...] Alas, on the way back, I was disfigured by a stomatologist and I'm hiding my cheek of the 7th Angel of the Apocalypse blowing a trumpet in Milly. [...] Mauriac doesn't belong to the "family" and it's killing him. That's where all his anger comes from. He'd like to prove that this family doesn't exist and that if it does, I'm using false papers to pretend I'm an adopted child or "found" by my family after being stolen by a circus. In short, it's these imbecilic Catholics who, in turn, make us famous. I wish you as much as possible, and I kiss you with my crooked mouth"... Enclosed is a kraft envelope addressed by L. Clergue to Cocteau, returned by him with this annotation a.s.: ""I was wrong, Jean-Marie is right, friendship must be believing. That's why I'm sending you back a "proof" without reading it, because any proof is unworthy of us"; and 2 l.a.s (copies) from Lucien CLERGUE to Jean Cocteau and Pierre Seghers (Sept. 23, 1960) about Dominique Éluard's decision to object to the dedication of Cocteau's poem; and a typewritten clarification with apostille from L. Clergue, concerning his rights to the edition of Testament d'Orphée (ed. Du Rocher). CCC p.76-77. Lots 24 to 68 are sold by provisional auction with the option of reunion.