DEMAISON (André) - MILLE (Pierre). - Lot 124

DEMAISON (André) - MILLE (Pierre). The Woman and the Naked Man. Paris: Les Éditions de France, [1924]. — In-8, 205 x 135: (2 ff.), 271 pp., printed cover. Bordeaux-colored long-grain half-maroquin in the Bradel style, smooth spine, untrimmed, cover and spine preserved (contemporary binding). First edition of this novel, the result of the sole collaboration between Pierre Mille and André Demaison, two major figures in colonial literature. The story features Vania, a White Russian woman from an aristocratic lineage who fled her country after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, and Tiékoro, a member of the Koniagui people of West Africa, who clings to primitive and anarchic customs. Both are exiles. Their encounter, initially marked by mutual misunderstandings, evolves despite the disapproving glances and unpleasant remarks they provoke, both in Fréjus-Saint-Raphaël and in Dakar. Compassion gradually gives way to a deeper feeling. Through this story, the authors explore the complex relationships between people, as well as the consequences—happy or unhappy—of their growing closeness, while questioning the cultural, social, and racial boundaries of their time. One of 20 numbered copies on Holland paper (No. 6), the only large-format edition, with 50 copies on Lafuma pure-fiber vellum. A fine copy. Spine slightly faded and some normal wear and tear.