VALERY PAUL: (1871-1945) French Poet and Philosopher. A very fine A.L.S., `Paul Valery´, three pages, 8vo, n.p. [Paris], Thursday 2<sup>nd</sup> March 1944, to Monsieur Bourguignon, in French. On his personal stationery, bearing his blind embossed Parisian address to the upper left corner, Valery explains to his correspondent the reason of his absence at the council session, stating `Mon état de santé, encore bien incertain, ne m´a pas permis d´assister à la séance d´hier du Conseil, et d´avoir le plaisir de vous y rencontrer. Je vous aurais vivement remercié de l´envoi que vous avez bien voulu me faire de ce bel album napoléonien´ (“My health, still very uncertain, did not allow me to attend yesterday´s Council meeting, and to have the pleasure of meeting you there. I would have sincerely thanked you for sending me this beautiful Napoleonic album”) Valery further refers to the Emperor, Napoleon, and to the Malmaison museum which his under the direction of his correspondent, saying `…ravivant mes souvenirs de la Malmaison et du Musée de l´armée. Il faut avouer qu´on ne peut pas se lasser de songer à l´Empereur. Tout ce qui contribue à nous faire imaginer plus précisément cet être extraordinaire nous est précieux…´ (“…rekindling my memories of Malmaison and the Army Museum. We must admit that one cannot get tired of thinking of the Emperor. Anything that helps us imagine this extraordinary human being more precisely is precious to us...”) Further again Valery comments that during his next visit he will relate to his correspondent few very interesting things related to Napoleon, stating in part `…je vous raconterai une ou deux choses qui vous intéresseront… et une troisième qui vous intéressera certainement, toutes les trois relatives à notre héros…´ (“… I will tell you one or two things that will be of interest to you… and a third that will certainly be of interest to you, all three relating to our hero…”) Paper with a Verge Muller watermark. Very light crease to the bottom right corner, otherwise VG

 

Jean Bourguignon (1876-1953) French Historian. Curator of the Malmaison Museum 1917-46, a house which was offered by Napoleon Bonaparte to his spouse Josephine de Beauharnais. He was also curator of the Museum of the Armies, and a specialist in the French Revolution and Napoleonic era, publishing several works. Bourguignon was the author of the first biography of Arthur Rimbaud.