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University of St. Michael's College, John M. Kelly Library, Special Collections Collection théâtrale André Antoine
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Collection théâtrale André Antoine

  • CA ON00389 C8
  • Collection
  • 1880 - 1985

The collection consists of: papers from director André Antoine; letters from Antoine; letters to Antoine from various playwrights, whose plays he staged; photographs of actors and actresses; letters from various members of Antoine's family; 40 autograph letters from Emile Zola; letters from and to journalist Léon Deffoux; letters from and to Maurice LeBlond, Emile Zola's son-in-law; letters from and to playwright Georges Ancey and his wife; several first editions of Zola's novels, some with bound autograph letters. Throughout are photocopied documents, collected by Sanders, as contexual material about the era and referenced events or articles within the correspondence. Also included are original letters sent to Sanders from the friends and relatives of those whose letters appear in the 19th century correspondence.

Sanders, James B.

Letters: Bruneau, Vaucaire, Becque

-Autograph letter from Alfred Bruneau to [J.H. Rosny according to hand-written note], n.d.
Acknowledges receiving the book, which he will read with pleasure. Is looking forward to their next conversation.
-Autograph letter [fragment] from Maurice Vaucaire to [?] [according to hand-written note], n.d. [1914-1918, according to internal evidence]. Talks about the war, political gossips.
NOTE : a hand-written note attributes this fragment from Alfred Bruneau to Louis Gallet. Gallet died in 1898. The fragment is signed «M.V.».
-Hand-written copies of letters (3) from Henry Becque to various correspondents, n.d. – these copies were sent to J.B. Sanders in September 1952.

Framed Items, Box 17

-Large photograph of Henry Bauer, literary critic.
-Framed front page of Le Petit Journal, Supplément illustré, 31 juillet 1898 – illustration of Zola going to Versailles for his trial.
-According to a hand-written note at the back of the frame (note by J.B. Sanders): watercolour by Jules Antoine (brother of André Antoine), figuring André Antoine in his role as Jacques Damour – adapted from Zola’s short story.

Ferdinand Fabre Dossier, J.B. Sanders letter

-Autograph letter from Jacques Duviard to J.B. Sanders, Versailles, 17 November 1977. Sends to Sanders photocopies of letters from Ferdinand Fabre, his great grandfather, to Emile Zola (not attached) and authorizes Sanders to publish them in the context of the Emile Zola Correspondence.
-Various photocopies of articles about F. Fabre.

Photographs related to Zola

Photographs
-L'Assommoir. Two stills from a lost 1909 version of Emile Zola's L'Assommoir, by Albert Cappelani (3 reels; 45 minutes)
-Zola, Emile. Photographic portrait. On the back, indication of the photographer as Porel, successor to the Maison Melandri in Paris.
-Zola, Emile. Two sketches of the novelist by his confrere, Pierre Loti (1850-1923), not dated. In 1891, Loti beat out Zola in the election to the Academie Francaise when the seat of Octave Feuillet became vacant.
-Zola, Emile. Photographic portrait of the novelist in his study. On the back, in pencil, an indication of Zola's address, 21 bis, rue de Bruxelles, which would date the photograph some time after September 1889.
-Photographs [probably taken by J. Sanders]. Three contemporary photographs (i) the tomb of Numa Coste (died 1907) in Aix-en-Provence; (ii) the tomb of Zola's parents in Aix-en-Provence; (iii) the tomb of Paul Cezanne in Aix-en-Provence.

Clippings, programmes, photographs, letters related to Zola

-Le Charivari, 4 April 1888. This comic newspaper loved poking fun at Zola. In this issue, a satirical article on Zola's political ambitions, entitled "Zola Consultant", signed Cascadio (p. 1-2).
-Theatre du Vaudeville, 20 May 1892. Programme for a one-time matinee performance of Zola's Therese Raquin at the Theatre du Vaudeville in support of the Oeuvre de la Societe maternelle parisienne (La Pouponnière), a benefit organization for orphaned children.
-Signed theatre programme for a special matinee in support of a tomb and a monument for Henry Becque, 31 May 1904. The matinee featured drama, a lecture and a poetry reading. The programme is signed by Victories Sardou, Georges de Porto-Riche, Emile Fabre and Camille Le Sense.
-3 photographs (one of H. Becque as a young man, two of his monument).
-Autograph letter from [signature illegible – great-nephew of Becque] to Madame Georges Ancey, dated «le 23 novembre 1932». Is preparing an edition of Henry Becque’s work – knows that Becque and Ancey were close. Is inquiring if there are letters and documents he could consult. Antoine told him that it could be the case.
-Autograph letter from J. Molbert [?] to [?], dated «3 juin 1905». Asks for tickets for the play. Praises the play, which is penetrating and passionate.

Correspondence related to Germinal (1993)

-Autograph authorization (on J.B. Sanders' card), dated 9 July 1979. Jean-Claude Le Blond authorizes J.B. Sanders to prepare a critical edition of the play, Germinal.
-Typed authorization from J. LeBlond-Zola to J. Sanders, dated 5 juin 1980. Authorization from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders to publish the text of Germinal (play).
-Autograph letter from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, dated 26 February 1989. M. Le Blond thanks him for sending a copy of Germinal and for having dedicated the volume to him.
-Autograph letter from Andre Beaudet (Les Editions Balzac) to J.B. Sanders, dated 8 November 1993. Concerning Benoit Patar and the fate of the archives of Les Editions Le Preambule (which published Germinal and which has now been taken over by Les Editions Balzac).
-Autograph memorandum from Bard Bakker to J. Sanders, dated May 2nd 1985, with a typed inventory of letters needed for one of the volume of Zola’s Correspondance. Is asking Sanders to see if he can get some of the letters from Jean-Claude LeBlond-Zola.
-Envelopes and other items of correspondence between J. Sanders and colleagues.
-Two copies of the program of the conference “Zola” – held at the University of Western Ontario in April 1971 – probably the first conference on Zola organized in Canada.
-Two offprints: J.B. Sanders, «Deux chroniques inédites d’Émile Zola destinées au Rappel. Présentation et annotation», extrait des Cahiers naturalistes, no 52, 1978.
Photocopy: invitation to the 1975 “Pélerinage littéraire de Médan” – allocution by J.B. Sanders.

Autograph letters from Francois Emile-Zola to J.B. Sanders

-Autograph letter with envelope from Francois Emile-Zola to J.B. Sanders, dated Athens, 12 March, 1986. Discusses several of Zola's photographs which he has in his possession.
-Autograph letter with envelope from Francois Emile-Zola to J.B. Sanders, 18 April 1986. Gives details on Zola's relationship with Jeanne Rozerot and suggests other sources of information

Maison Emile Zola, Medan

Maison Emile Zola, Medan, dossier of photographs, historical documents, photocopies, etc., relative to the history of Zola's house at Medan and the process by which it was made into a museum.

A.l.s. (visiting card) from Émile Zola to Yves Guyot

  1. A.l.s. (visiting card) from Émile Zola to Yves Guyot (1843-1928), 12 December 1900, 1 p.
    Zola asks Guyot to reproduce in its entirety, with his introduction, Zola’s letter which had appeared that morning in Le Figaro. He will be grateful if Guyot will give the letter a prominent place in tomorrow’s edition.
    The journalist and politician Yves Guyot was at the time the director of the Paris newspaper Le Siècle. The letter in question was written in support of the young writer, Maurice Le Blond, and a group of his colleagues, who had founded the “Collège d’esthétique moderne”, a meeting place for writers and artists, which offered courses and public lectures. In 1908, Maurice Le Blond (1877-1944) married Zola’s daughter, Denise.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. X, page 207 (letter 175).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to André Antoine

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to André Antoine (1858-1943), Paris, 31 January 1902, 1 p.
    Zola requests theatre tickets for his wife and for himself. Would like to see Antoine at the intermission, so that he can congratulate him. Has heard that the ticket sales are good.
    Zola is referring to the adaptation of his novel La Terre, prepared for the stage by Charles Hugot and Raoul de Saint-Arroman. The play opened at the Théâtre Antoine on 21 January 1902, with Antoine in one of the leading roles. In spite of its strong beginnings, the play was only a moderate success.
    André Antoine had launched the Théâtre Antoine in 1897 and later became a respected theatre critic and a film maker.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. X, page 355-356 (letter 340).
    Note that the paper is stained and has a pin-hole in the upper left-hand and lower-right corners of the page.

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to André Antoine

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to André Antoine (1858-1943), Paris, 24 February 1902, 2 p.
    Zola is in agreement with Saint-Arroman that they should attempt to keep La Terre going as long as possible, by presenting it once or twice a week. Asks if he might give some friends one of his visiting cards with a message on it, which they could exchange for theatre tickets.
    On Antoine and La Terre, see letter 39.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. X, page 359-360 (letter 347).

Germinal (1887) loose manuscript sheets

17 loose sheets from the manuscript of the play, Germinal (1887), as follows:

-4 pages from the 7th scene, “La Collision”, scene X (note identifying the scene on the top of page 1, in J. Sanders’ hand)
-5 pages from the 10th scene, “L’Écroulement du Voreux” (note identifying the scene on the top of page 1, in J. Sanders’ hand)
-8 pages from “La Ducasse”, scene 2 (note identifying the scene on the top of page 1, in J. Sanders’ hand)

  • program of the «Centenary Dinner to celebrate the Visit of Emile Zola to London in September 1893», organized in September 1993 at the Savoy Hotel (London, England),

J.H. Rosny, dossier

-Photocopy : ‘Le declin du naturalisme. Avant-propos’. Autograph draft of an article, signed J.H. Rosny. There is a transcription of the draft.
-Photocopy: ‘Résumé du débat’. From the Journal inedit de J.H. Rosny (photocopy), dated [August 1887]. 3 p. The document concerns the "Manifeste des cinq" against Zola, of which Rosny was one of the signatories. There is a typed transcription of the draft.
-Photocopy: letter from J.H. Rosny to an unknown correspondent, Paris, 5 September 1887. Rosny thanks his correspondent for his article on Rosny's L'Immolation. Takes issue with his correspondent's remarks, in his article, on the “Manifeste des cinq”.

Letters from François Émile-Zol, Martine LeBlond-Zola to J. Sanders.

-Typed and signed letter from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, dated «Paris, 26 décembre 1970».Le Blond thanks Sanders for the invitation to the Zola colloquium planned at the University of Western Ontario; however, his professional duties will prevent him from attending.
-Autograph letter with envelope from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, 9 August 1979.Le Blond tells Sanders how much he enjoyed his visit. Unfortunately, he cannot find the 12th and last scene [of Germinal?] written in Zola's handwriting.
-Autograph letter with envelope from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, dated 20 November 1979.Unfortunately, Le Blond cannot identify Zola's correspondent in the letter dated 18 December 1882. Thanks Sanders for his article on Renée, and reflections on Zola's theatrical career.
-Autograph letter from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, dated 4 January 1980. Expresses his regret on learning about the illness of Sanders' son. His wife and daughter join him in expressing their concern. Hopes that he will soon have the occasion to visit them in L'Etang la-Ville.
-Autograph postcard [Zola's house in Medan] from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, dated 30 December 1981.Sends his best wishes for the new year. He and his wife are looking forward to a visit from Sanders.
-Autograph postcard [view of “Marly-le-Roi au XVIIIe siècle”] from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, dated 3 January 1983. Sends his best wishes for the new year. Apologizes that the postal strike prevented him from replying to Sanders' letter of 27 October 1982. In spite of careful research, he has been unable to identify the authors of two letters by Zola of which Sanders had sent him copies.
-Autograph card from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, dated 31 July 1984. Sends the photocopies requested by J.B. Sanders, and apologizes for having taken so long. Hopes that they will see each other soon at L'Etang-la-Ville.
-Autograph letter from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, dated 28 December, 1985. Sends his best wishes for the new year and for better health for Sanders' son. His manuscript of Germinal is still available if Sanders wishes. The letter is enclosed in a card, showing a painting by Raphael Toussaint.
-Autograph card [UNICEF Christmas card] from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, [1985]. Sends his best wishes for 1985 and hopes to see him soon.
-Autograph card from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, dated 14 May 1987. Sends a photocopy of an empty envelope from Leon Deffoux to his father (Maurice Le Blond), dated September 1943, which he had forgotten to include in his letter.
-Autograph letter from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, with envelope, dated 1 June 1987, on letterhead from the «Sociétt littéraire des amis d’Emile Zola». Expresses his regret at the death of Sanders' son. Happy however to learn that Sanders is coming to France, and suggests possible dates for a visit. Sanders can keep the manuscript of Germinal as long as he needs it.
-Autograph card [UNICEF Christmas card] from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, dated 4 January 1988. Thanks Sanders for his good wishes, and sends his own in return. Is looking forward to the publication of Germinal in 1988.
-Autograph postcard [from Musée Grévin] from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, dated 11 January 1992. Sends his best wishes for the new year and congratulates Sanders on his study of proper names in Zola's work. Gives him the address of Delaballe.
-Autograph card [UNICEF Christmas card] from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, dated 26 January 1993. Le Blond apologizes for being slow in sending his new year's wishes, since he has been very ill with bronchitis. Is happy to see that Sanders has published the correspondence between Céard and Thyébaut.
-Autograph card [UNICEF Christmas card] with envelope from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, dated 2 February 1995. Sends best wishes for 1995 and his compliments on Sanders' article on Céard and Thyébaut.
-Autograph card [Van Gogh's "La Moisson"] with envelope from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders [January 1996, added in J.B. Sanders' hand; envelope stamped 22 January 1996. Thanks J.B. Sanders and his wife for their good wishes and alludes to the Sanders' travels.
-Autograph postcard [Musée Victor Hugo] with envelope from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, [16 January 1997], with a postscript from Martine Le Blond-Zola. Sends his best wishes for the new year. Apologizes that he cannot identify the "Colin" about whom Sanders was enquiring. His daughter, Martine, also sends her best wishes in an autograph note.
-Autograph letter with envelope from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, dated March 19, 1997. Le Blond apologizes for taking so long to reply, but he is currently hospitalized for a heart ailment. Authorizes Sanders to publish the letters from Maurice Le Blond to Leon Deffoux in the Cahiers naturalistes. Evokes his memories of the times Deffoux spent at his mother and father's home and affirms that Deffoux was at the centre of Zola studies before academic Zola studies began in 1955-1960. Will search for any correspondence he has between Deffoux and his father when he returns home to L'Etang-la-Ville.
NOTE: these letters seem to remain unpublished (see Cahiers naturalistes, 2007).
-Autograph letter from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, dated May 9, 1997. Ill health has prevented him from replying sooner to Sanders' request. Sends copies of 7 letters from Leon Deffoux to Maurice Leblond (27/12/25, 2 et 25/01/30, 4, 10 et 17/02/30, 04/02/31). Describes the letters and speaks at length about the importance of Deffoux. Lists works in his possession by Deffoux with dedications to Maurice Le Blond.
-Autograph letter from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, dated 28 December, 1997. Thanks Sanders for sending a letter from Thyébaut to Ceard. Sends copies of some articles by Deffoux, particularly an article of June 1924 which deals with the disagreement between the Zola family and the Academie Goncourt.
-Autograph letter with envelope from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sander, dated 6 December, 1998. Sends Sanders a copy of an article by Maurice Le Blond, “La Vérité sur l’incident Mallarmé”. Le Tombeau de Michel Abadie is a collection of poems, on which Le Blond comments. There is no list of Maurice Le Blond's publications, but he did keep a dossier of press clippings and a binder of the artaicles he published in L'Aurore from 1900 to 1905. Details on where to find the manuscripts of Les Rougon Macquart, Les Trois Villes, and Zola's letters.
-Autograph card [Marly-le-Roi au XVIIIe siècle] from Jean-Claude Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, undated. Thanks J.B. Sanders for his letter and is happy to learn that his son is feeling better. Thanks him for his good wishes and hopes to see him soon.
-Autograph card ["Birds of America" series (Audubon)] from Jean-Claude Le Blond and his wife to J.B. Sanders, undated. Le Blond and his wife send their wishes for the new year and hope to see him soon.
-Autograph postcards [2 – views of Médan] from Martine Le Blond to J.B. Sanders, dated 31 December 1998. Although her father is very ill, she hopes that he will live to see the publication of his work on Medan. The new year will also bring the beginning of the restoration of Medan under the directorship of Pierre Bergé. News of her family.
-Newspaper announcement of the death of Jean-Claude Le Blond, dated 23 March, 1999.
-Death announcement with envelope addressed to J.B. Sanders concerning the death of Jean-Claude Leblond, dated 20 March, 1999. Accompanied by a card from Martine Le Blond.
-Two postcards (27 October 1990, 19 October 1993) from Alain Pages to J.B. Sanders. Discussing the publication of Sanders' work in Les Cahiers naturalistes. Postcards are of Zola's house at Medan.

Letters from Martine Le Blond-Zola to J.B. Sanders

-Autograph letter from Martine Le Blond-Zola to J.B. Sanders, 19 May 1976. Answers a number of research questions relative to her father's collection of Zola material.
-Autograph card with envelope from Martine Le Blond-Zola to J.B. Sanders, envelope stamped 31 March 1999. Thanks Sanders for his condolences on the death of her father.
-Autograph card [view of Médan] with envelope from Martine Le Blond-Zola to J.B. Sanders, 20 December 1999. Sends New Year's wishes.
-Autograph card with envelope from Martine Le Blond-Zola to J.B. Sanders, 29 December, 2000. New Year's wishes to Sanders and his wife.
-Autograph card from Martine Le Blond-Zola to J.B. Sanders, [2002].
New Year's wishes. Card from the series printed by the Association pour le Rayonnement de I'Oeuvre Emile Zola.

Photocopies (Zola)

-“Musique d'Offenbach”, photocopy a.s., signed Emile Zola. No indication of provenance. 2 p.
-“Pauvre prince”, photocopy. Fragment, in Zola's hand. No indication of provenance. 2 p.
-“La Madeleine”, photocopy of manuscript of Zola's 1865 play.

Zola notes

Zola's preparatory notes (photocopy) for his article, "Aux meres heureuses" (Le Figaro, 18 April 1891), from the Le Blond collection.
There is also a transcription of the notes and a letter from Alain Pages to Sanders, dated 13 February 2007, thanking Sanders for sending the text.

Gabriel Thyebaut, documents

-Marriage announcement for Gabriel Thyebaut and Marguerite Fauconnier, 25 April 1893.
-Marriage announcement (different wording from the above) for Gabriel Thyebaut and Marguerite Fauconnier, 25 April 1893.
-Photocopy portrait of Gabriel Thyebaut
-Death certificate (photocopy) for Gabriel Thyebaut, 11 September 1922.
-Various documents (photocopies) about Thyébaut.
-Letter from J.B. Sanders to the mayor of Dienville, dated 9 January 1998, requesting information on Gabriel Thyebaut.

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Ély Halpérine-Kaminsky

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Ély Halpérine-Kaminsky (1858-1936), Médan, 29 December 1891, 1 p.
    Zola will expect Halpérine-Kaminsky in Paris any evening after the 5th of January, at exactly 6:00 p.m. He hopes that this rather late hour will suit his correspondent.
    On Ély Halpérine-Kaminsky, see the notes to letter 21.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. VII, page 226 (letter 192).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Louis Gallet

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Louis Gallet (1835-1898), Paris, 1 November 1892, 2 p.
    Zola wants to have Charpentier print about ten copies of L’Attaque du Moulin in order to facilitate the rehearsals. Zola hopes Gallet will not mind if he takes the manuscript to Charpentier, and he promises the check the proofs. Suggests that the financial arrangements for the play be the same as they were for Le Rêve. Carvalho’s rehearsal is on November 13th at Choudens’ office.
    On Louis Gallet, see the notes to letter 26. On L’Attaque du moulin, see the notes to letter 30. Léon Carvalho was the “metteur en scène” of the opera, while Paul Choudens was a prominent music publisher.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. VII, page 333 (letter 326).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Paul Ménard-Dorian

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Paul Ménard-Dorian (1845-1937), Paris, 11 January 1900, 3 p.
    Zola apologizes that he is obliged to change the date for his visit to Unieux. He has to see Galliffet on Saturday, and his lawsuit with Ernest Judet will be heard on the 24th. Suggests several alternative dates for his visit.
    Zola was to see Gaston Galliffet, the defense minister, regarding the lawsuit which Zola had launched against the journalist Ernest Judet, who had slandered Zola’s father in an article published in the press.
    On Paul Ménard-Dorian and his factory at Unieux, see letter 23.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. X, page 122-123 (letter 63).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Gaston Calmette

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Gaston Calmette (1858-1914), Paris, 2 January 1896, 1 p.
    Zola tells Calmette that he was sure that Calmette had not read the article, since Zola knows that Calmette holds him in high esteem. Although he is normally very tolerant, Zola continues, he felt that he had to protest against the article. Tells Calmette that M. Saint-Albin can come to see him any evening except Wednesday, at 6:00 p.m.
    Zola is referring to an article which had appeared in Le Figaro on 1 January 1896 under the signature of Jules Delafosse. In his article, Delafosse lamented the sorry state into which France had fallen, and criticized Zola for reveling in his country’s decadence and describing it in his novels. Calmette had assured Zola that neither he nor his co-director at Le Figaro, Fernand de Rodays, had read the article beforehand: otherwise, the section of the article criticizing Zola would have been removed.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. VIII, page 297-298 (letter 282).

A.l.s. with envelope from Émile Zola to Ély Halpérine-Kaminsky

  1. A.l.s. with envelope from Émile Zola to Ély Halpérine-Kaminsky (1858-1936), Paris, 14 April 1891, 2 p.
    Zola does not want foreign reviews of his last novel, L’Argent, to appear in Le Figaro, since this would look like a publicity ploy. Promises that when he returns to Paris at the end of the month he will send Halpérine-Kaminsky the letter which he had promised him on Tolstoï’s L’Argent et le travail, which Halpérine-Kaminsky had translated. Zola apologizes for the delay, but states that he is overwhelmed with work.
    On Ély Halpérine-Kaminsky, see the notes to letter 21. Zola’s article on Tolstoï’s collection of texts, dated 4 November 1891 [see Correspondance, vol. VII, letter 177], appeared in Le Figaro on 16 January 1892, at the same time as the volume appeared, published by Flammarion.
    The envelope is stamped and franked, and reads : “ Monsieur Halpérine-Kaminsky, 85 boul. de Port-Royal, Paris”.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. VII, page 133-134 (letter 76).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Louis Gallet

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Louis Gallet (1835-1898), Médan, 20 September 1894, 2 p.
    Zola wants to let Gallet know that he has just finished writing the libretto of a lyric opera [Messidor] with the musician Alfred Bruneau, before Gallet reads the news in the papers. Zola explains that since the work is in prose, not poetry, he did not call upon Gallet for his collaboration. He knows that Gallet will be delighted for his friend Bruneau and asks him to keep the news secret until it appears in the newspapers. Zola will be back in Paris on October 8, and will leave for Rome at the beginning of November. Invites Gallet to come for a visit before he leaves for Italy.
    Zola composed the libretto for the lyric opera in March-April 1894, but the work was not performed until 1897, when it premiered at the Opéra (Palais Garnier) on 19 February. The libretto was published by Choudens in 1897 and, in 1921, in Fasquelle’s edition of Zola’s Poèmes lyriques.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. VIII, page 162-163 (letter 121).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Jules Claretie

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Jules Claretie (1840-1913), Paris, 6 May 1896, 2 p.
    Zola tried to see Claretie at the Comédie-Française before leaving for the country, but was unsuccessful. Thanks Claretie for his unfailing support in his candidacy for the Académie française.
    On Claretie’s support for Zola’s candidacy for the Académie française, see letter 33.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. VIII, page 317-318 (letter 310).

A.l.s. with envelope from Émile Zola to Ély Halpérine-Kaminsky

  1. A.l.s. with envelope from Émile Zola to Ély Halpérine-Kaminsky (1858-1936), [Paris, 23 June 1891], 2 p.
    In this declaration, which is a continuation of Zola’s conversation with Halpérine-Kaminsky regarding Tolstoï’s ideas (see above, letters 21 and 27), Zola states that he neither smokes nor drinks, but does not think that this makes him a better person : his decision was based on his own personality and his health concerns. He goes on to say that he finds Tolstoï’s theory that men smoke and drink instinctively in order to lull their conscience is somewhat overly dramatic. For Zola, men drink for pleasure and smoke first to show off and then by habit. He concludes by saying : “Good Lord! Why not leave this pleasure and this habit with those who don’t suffer by it?” A rare and interesting statement on Zola’s personal habits.
    On Ély Halpérine-Kaminsky, see the notes to letter 21.
    The envelope is stamped and franked, and reads : “Monsieur Halpérine-Kaminsky, 85 boulevard de Port-Royal, Paris”.
    On the text, in pencil, on the upper right-hand corner, in an unknown hand : “[23 juin] 1891”.

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Louis Gallet

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Louis Gallet (1835-1898), Paris, 18 August, 1892, 1 p.
    Zola informs Gallet that he is on the point of leaving Paris for a six week trip, but that he would nonetheless like to see the fourth act [of L’Attaque du moulin] as soon as possible. He requests that Gallet send it to Médan, by registered mail, since Zola has left instructions at Médan for the forwarding of the document. On Louis Gallet, see the notes to letter 26. Zola was, at that time, leaving for Lourdes, where he was beginning to gather his documentation for Lourdes, the first novel in the series which immediately followed the Rougon-Macquart series, Les Trois Villes. Lourdes appeared in 1894.
    The lyric opera, L’Attaque du moulin, was a collaborative effort by Zola and Louis Gallet (libretto) and Alfred Bruneau (score). The first performance took place at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 23 November 1892.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. VII, page 315 (letter 302).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Jules Claretie

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Jules Claretie (1840-1913), Paris, 7 December 1895, 1 p.
    Zola writes to Claretie, one of his supporters, about Zola’s candidacy at the Académie française. He thanks Claretie for his letter, but fears that he is less optimistic than Claretie about his chances for success in the upcoming election.
    In all, Zola stood for election to the Académie française 19 times (from 1890 to 1898), but was never successful.
    Jules Claretie (see also letter 4) was by this time a prominent theatre critic with Le Figaro and Le Temps, among other newspapers, and was also chief administrator of the Comédie-Française. He himself had been a member of the Académie française since 1888.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. VIII, page 281 (letter 267).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Louis Gallet

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Louis Gallet (1835-1898), Médan, 10 May 1896, 1 p.
    Zola invites Gallet to come and have lunch at Médan one day in June. He will send his carriage for him to the train station. A Sunday would be best.
    On Louis Gallet, see letter 26.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. VIII, page 320 (letter 314).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to André Maurel

Note: ITEMS number 16, 17a and 17b are in Maurel’s copy of Renée (stacks).

-16. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to André Maurel (1863-?), Paris, 20 March 1887, 1 p. Zola invites Maurel to visit him, in order that Maurel prepare an article on Zola’s upcoming play, Renée. Maurel was, at the time, a journalist for several major Paris dailies, as well as a prolific novelist and playwright. His article on Renée, which premiered at the Théâtre du Vaudeville in Paris on April 16 and ran until May 23, appeared in Le Voltaire on March 22, 1887 (under the pseudonym of “Lucien Valette”). **This letter is glued into a copy of the text of the play, which was published by Charpentier on May 30, 1887.
Published in Correspondance, vol. VI, page 106 (letter 46).
-17a. Autograph dedication from Zola to André Maurel (1863-?), [early April 1887], in a copy of Renée (see entry 16).
-17b. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to André Maurel (1863-?), [early April 1887], 1 p.

Al.s. from Émile Zola to Joseph-Antoine Floury

  1. Al.s. from Émile Zola to Joseph-Antoine Floury (1834-1894), Paris, 6 December 1887, 1 p. Zola sends Floury the finalized manuscript of the play, Germinal, which has been approved by the board of censors. He suggests that they now sit down and go through the play scene by scene, to discuss the sets and the blocking, since Zola has many ideas about these aspects of the play. Asks if Floury has received a copy of the illustrated edition of Germinal. An important letter. Joseph-Antoine Floury was the director of the Châtelet theatre in Paris. Zola’s play, which he wrote in collaboration with the popular dramatist, William Busnach, had been vetoed by the board of censors in 1885 and was not in fact performed until the authors had submitted a revised version of the manuscript, which is the version alluded to in the letter. The play opened at the Châtelet theatre on 21 April 1888. In spite of a number of spectacular stage effects, the play enjoyed only a moderate success, and closed after 17 performances.
    Note that J.B. Sanders published an edition of the play in 1989 (Québec, Le Préambule).
    Published in Correspondance, vol. VI, page 216-217 (letter 176).

A.l.s. with envelope from Émile Zola to Ély Halpérine-Kaminsky

  1. A.l.s. with envelope from Émile Zola to Ély Halpérine-Kaminsky (1858-1936), Médan, 9 January 1888, 2 p. An important letter about Halpérine-Kaminsky’s translation into French of Tolstoï’s play, entitled in French La Puissance des ténèbres. Zola refutes remarks made by Halpérine-Kaminsky in an article recently published in La Nouvelle Revue, according to which Zola had found certain elements of the translated play badly done. Zola assures his correspondent that he simply felt that the translation of the play did not lend itself overly well to being staged.
    Ély Halpérine-Kaminsky was a journalist and translator, having translated works by Tolstoï, Dostoïevski and Tourguéniev into French and Zola’s La Débâcle (1892) into Russian. The envelope is stamped and franked, and reads : “Monsieur E. Halpérine, 85 boulevard de Port-Royal, Paris”. Note that the next letter (no 22) continues this conversation.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. VI, page 238-239 (letter 197).

A.l.s. with envelope from Émile Zola to Ély Halpérine-Kaminsky

  1. A.l.s. with envelope from Émile Zola to Ély Halpérine-Kaminsky (1858-1936), Médan, 18 January 1888, 2 p. This letter continues the conversation begun in letter 21. Zola gives Halpérine-Kaminsky his permission to publish his letter of 9 January 1888 (no 21), on the condition that he publishes the letter in its entirety. Zola goes on to comment on the question of plays written to be read versus plays written to be performed, and concludes that this is a fiction put forth by the critics : for Zola, there are plays which excite the public and plays which do not. He cites as an example the dramas of Alfred de Musset, which were written to be read, but which were still being performed in Zola’s day. On the other hand, Zola continues, many contemporary plays which were meant to be performed rather than read have already fallen into oblivion. He concludes that one must not generalize about the “theatre public”, since there are many different types of audiences. Halpérine-Kaminsky (see notes to letter 22) published Zola’s letter in an article which appeared in La Nouvelle Revue on 1 February 1888. The play itself was first performed at André Antoine’s Théâtre Libre in 10 February 1888 with great success. The envelope is stamped and franked, and reads : “Monsieur E. Halpérine, 85 boulevard de Port-Royal, Paris”.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. VI, page 242-243 (letter 202).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to René d’Hubert

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to René d’Hubert (1855-1927), Paris, 30 January 1891, 1p.
    Zola is going to spend a few days in Médan, so he asks d’Hubert to stop sending him the proofs of L’Argent (the 18th novel in the 20-volume Rougon-Macquart series), which was appearing in serialized form in the Gil Blas, of which d’Hubert was, at the time, the director. Zola adds that he is sending along a note (not included), in which he indicates the point in the text where he wishes each installment to end, an interesting indication of the interest and care which Zola took in the newspaper publications of his novels.
    René d’Hubert began as the director of the Gil Blas, a major Paris daily, in 1886, and remained there until 1891. Zola’s novel appeared in the Gil Blas from 29 November 1890 to 3 March 1891.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. VII, page 118 (letter 56).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Louis Gallet

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Louis Gallet (1835-1898), Paris, 16 February, 1891, 2 p.
    Zola asks his friend and collaborator, who was, at the time, director of the Lariboisière Hospital in Paris, if he could intervene on behalf of his cook, Zélie Cavillier, who had fallen ill and who wanted to be treated at the Lariboisière Hospital. Zola says that he will send her husband, Henri, who was Zola’s “valet de chambre”, for the details regarding admittance, and thanks Gallet in advance for his help.
    Louis Gallet, a long-time hospital administrator, was also a prolific music critic and librettist. He collaborated with Zola and Alfred Bruneau on the adaptation of Zola’s novel, Le Rêve (1888), and on his lyric opera, Messidor (1897).
    Published in Correspondance, vol. VII, page 121 (letter 60).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Adrien Remacle

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Adrien Remacle (1856-?), Médan, 12 May 1884, 1 p.
    Zola promises to send Remacle something for the next issue of La Revue indépendante.
    Zola’s short story, “Théâtre de campagne”, appeared in the second issue of La Revue indépendante (June 1884).
    Adrien Remacle worked as head of publicity for Zola’s publisher, Georges Charpentier, before becoming the director of La Revue contemporaine in 1885. He was also the author of several volumes of poetry and of a ballet based on Verlaine’s poetry.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. V, page 104 (letter 44).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Marius Roux

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Marius Roux (1838-1905), Médan, 23 juin 1887, 1 p. Zola apologizes for postponing the visit of the Roux family, since he did not know that Roux’s wife and daughter were leaving on holiday. He proposes that they re-schedule their visit for August and wishes them a pleasant holiday.
    Marius Roux was a long-time friend of Zola who had collaborated on Zola’s only (and ultimately unsuccessful) venture into newspaper publishing in 1870, when he and Roux founded the short-lived La Marseillaise. Marius Roux was a novelist himself, as well as a journalist, working for Le Rappel, L’Événement illustré and Le Petit Journal, among other papers.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. VI, page 153 (letter 103).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to an unknown correspondent

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to an unknown correspondent, Médan, 26 August 1887, 1 p. Zola regrets that he is bound by contract and cannot give his correspondent a volume of short stories.
    This may be in regard to a re-edition of some of Zola’s many short stories. Zola was bound by his contracts with Charpentier and with Flammarion (for the illustrated editions). It may also be in regard to the translation of his short stories. Here too, Zola had established contracts with a number of publishing houses throughout Europe, giving them the rights to the publication of his translations.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. VI, page 173-174 (letter 125).

A.l.s. with envelope from Émile Zola to Hector Giacomelli

  1. A.l.s. with envelope from Émile Zola to Hector Giacomelli (1822-1904), Médan, 7 October 1890, 1 p.
    Zola regrets that he cannot meet with Giacomelli, since he must go to Paris on an errand which cannot be postponed. He suggests that they get together in Paris. A letter which shows well the affectionate relationship between the two men.
    Hector Giacomelli was a painter and engraver who illustrated a great number of important French and English works of the time, including works by Michelet, Musset and Gustave Doré’s famous illustrated Bible. Giacomelli and Zola had known each other since 1865, when they were both working for the Hachette publishing firm.
    The envelope is stamped and franked, and reads : “Monsieur Giacomellli, chez monsieur Delorme, à Juziers par Gargenville (Seine-et-Oise)”.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. VII, page 90-91 (letter 27).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Damase Jouaust

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Damase Jouaust (1834-1893), Médan, 18 December 1884, 2 p.
Zola thanks Jouaust for his lovely edition of Une page d’amour (see letter 12 in this inventory) and compliments the artists on their fine work. Asks Jouaust not to send him any more copies of the work and asks him about the payment of 5,000 francs which is due him for having given Jouaust permission to reproduce the work. They will straighten this out when Zola gets back to Paris in January.
On the deluxe illustrated edition of Une page d’amour, see the notes to letter 12.
Published in Correspondance, vol. V, page 207 (letter 145).

A.l.s. (visiting card) from Émile Zola to [Paul-François Ménard-Dorian]

  1. A.l.s. (visiting card) from Émile Zola to [Paul-François Ménard-Dorian], Paris, s.d., 1 p.
    “With our deepest sympathy on your loss”. Paul Ménard-Dorian (1846-1907) was an extremely prominent armaments manufacturer and member of the Republican government from 1877 to 1889 and from 1890 to 1893. In 1900, Zola toured the Ménard-Dorian factories at Unieux in preparation for his 1901 novel, Travail, which is set in a steel foundry.
    Further research into the biography of Paul Ménard-Dorian would probably help in determining the date of this visiting card, which is obviously a message of condolence. The address on the card (23, rue Ballu) suggests that the card must date from between 1877 and 1889, the period during which Zola lived in this Paris apartment.
    **The text of this card has not been published.

A.l.s. (visiting card) from Émile Zola to Ernest Ziegler

  1. A.l.s. (visiting card) from Émile Zola to Ernest Ziegler (1847-1902), Paris, 26 [?], 1884, 1 p.
    A visiting card, bearing the message, “With many thanks”, written to Ernest Ziegler, a journalist, novelist, dramatist, and translator of Zola’s novels Germinal and L’Oeuvre.
    The card, which bears Zola’s Paris address, is accompanied by the stamped envelope, addressed to Ziegler in Vienna, and by a photograph of Zola. On the postmark, the day and the year are visible, but not the month.
    **Not published.

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to André Lavertujon

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to André Lavertujon (1827-1914), Paris, 19 May 1868, 1 p.
    Zola writes to André Lavertujon, at the time an important journalist and politician, and founder of La Tribune, a newspaper for which Zola wrote from June 1868 to January 1870, publishing 62 texts in all. In this letter, Zola says to Lavertujon that Théodore Duret, a mutual friend, has told Zola that Lavertujon had expressed the desire to read Zola’s new novel, Thérèse Raquin. Zola therefore sends Lavertujon a copy of the novel in the hopes that Lavertujon will find it interesting. Published in Correspondance, vol. II, p. 123-124 (letter 10).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Numa Coste

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Numa Coste (1843-1904), Paris, 13 January 1876, 2 p.
    Note that the bottom half of the second page [no text here] is missing.
    Numa Coste, an old friend of Zola’s, was a journalist and art critic. He was one of a group of friends (including Coste, Paul Bourget, Paul Alexis, Anthony Valabrègue, and Émile Solari) with whom Zola met on a monthly basis, beginning in 1874, for a dinner which they had baptized the “dîner du ‘Boeuf nature’”. In this letter, Zola tells Coste that he has a bad cold and will not be able to come to the dinner. Zola suggests that Coste try to re-schedule the dinner or, if he cannot, that he not reserve a seat for him.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. II, p. 434 (letter 247).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to the Petit Versaillais

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to the Petit Versaillais, Médan, 14 November 1882, 1 p.
    Zola writes to the newspaper to request that he be sent three copies of the November 5th issue of the paper.
    In this issue, there had appeared a report on the trial of Zola’s valet, Henri Cavillier, who had been arrested for hunting illegally in Vernouillet, near Zola’s country property in Médan. Cavillier was found guilty and fined 16 francs.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. IV, p. 340-341 (letter 265).
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