Founded by Laurent Auxietre, Le Manuscrit Français specializes in the sale and acquisition of letters, manuscripts, and iconographic documents from the great figures of the past.
Established in 2017, the gallery has become a recognized reference in the market and collaborates with some of the most prestigious private collections and institutions around the world.
All our documents undergo a rigorous selection process: we are committed to offering remarkable pieces distinguished both by their content and their rarity. Our eclectic collection is structured around two main areas: arts and literature on the one hand, history and science on the other. These letters and manuscripts combine emotion, historical insight, and factual objectivity.
Paul ÉLUARD
(1895-1952)
Autograph poem
signed ‘Paul Eluard’
S.l, 1942, 1 p. in-folio (21 x 31 cm) on brown paper
Bespoke mounting under museum-grade glass, document mounted on grey Marie-Louise board, gilded frame
Slight creases (professionally minimised)
A magnificent poem opening the collection Au rendez-vous allemand and which, on its own, symbolises the spirit of the Resistance
Avis
La nuit qui précéda sa mort
Fut la plus courte de sa vie L’idée qu’il existait encore
Lui brûlait le sang aux poignets
Le poids de son corps l’écœurait
Sa force le faisait gémir
C’est tout au fond de cette horreur
Qu’il a commencé à sourire
Il n’avait pas UN camarade
Mais des millions et des millions
Pour le venger il le savait
Et le jour se leva pour lui
1942
Paul Eluard
In Raisons d’écrire, Paul Éluard offers the following commentary on this poem: ‘Anonymous, Avis was commissioned from me by Paulhan for a newspaper that never saw the light of day. On the walls of Paris, Avis—threats or lists of hostages—were plastered up, striking fear into the hearts of some and bringing shame upon all.’
The first Avis were posted on the walls of Paris during the winter of 1940–1941.
First published in Les Poèmes français, Lausanne, 1943, unsigned, the poem was subsequently reprinted in L’Honneur des poètes [II], p. 78, signed ‘Jean du Haut’, then in Traits (July, no. 7), anonymous and untitled. It was later reproduced in Paul Éluard, Parrot (1944), p. 146, before appearing in Au Rendez-vous allemand, where the poet deliberately placed it first in the collection. It was also set to music by Elsa Barraine in 1946. The score is dedicated to the memory of the Resistance fighter Georges Dudach, who was shot as a hostage by the Germans in 1942 at Mont-Valérien.
One of Éluard’s most moving poems.
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