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1 volume 12mo (182 x 126 mm) with 2 unn.l. and 490 pp. Havana jansenist morocco, with morocco doublures, spine with raised bands, edges gilt, original cover and spine preserved, in folder and slipcase (P.L. Martin)
1 in stock
Carteret, I, 265; Vicaire, III, 721; Clouzot, 121; Lambiotte (exemplaire n°43).
First edition, printed on large paper.
Inscribed : « À E. Bataille, cordial hommage d’un ancien camarade de collège. Gve Flaubert ».
Eugène Bataille (1815-1878) started out as a railway engineer, but soon pursued a political career that got him into trouble. Close to Napoleon III, he was imprisoned for his part in the attempt to overthrow King Louis-Philippe. This did not prevent him from becoming a member of parliament in 1851 and being appointed to the Conseil d’État in 1852. He was then general councillor for the canton of Pavilly, north of Rouen, from 1858 to 1864.
He had a summer residence at Hautot-sur-Seine, near Croisset, where he regularly invited Flaubert. Bataille was also a bibliophile. He shared his love of literature with Flaubert, whom he had met on the benches of the Collège Royal in Rouen.
His attachment to literature and his admiration for his childhood friend are reflected in the letter he wrote to the author on 1 June 1857, in response to the mailing of this large paper copy:
“Mon cher camarade,
Je n’ai voulu vous remercier de la bonne pensée que vous avez eu en m’envoyant votre livre, qu’après l’avoir lu et relu.
C’est tout bonnement un chef d’œuvre.
Bien que vous soyez un fils de Balzac, tout ce que vous avez écrit est d’une originalité extravagante, et d’une vérité telle, que vous vous êtes mis dès votre premier bond dans les limites des grands maîtres. Malgré mon incompétence, j’ose vous prédire une série de succès.
Mille bonnes amitiés
Eugène Bataille”
Very nice copy.
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