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University of St. Michael's College, John M. Kelly Library, Special Collections Collection théâtrale André Antoine
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A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Édouard Fournier

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Édouard Fournier (1819-1880), [Paris], 20 November 1865, 3 p. – on letterhead «Librairie de L. Hachette et Cie, Boulevard Saint-Germain, 77», crossed out.
    Zola writes to Fournier, a journalist who wrote for a number of Paris newspapers, to request that Fournier read and comment on Zola’s new (and his first) novel, La Confession de Claude in Fourier’s upcoming literary column in La Patrie.
    In this letter, Zola’s keen sense of how to create publicity for his works is already evident, since he tells Fournier that he will not be upset if Fournier gives an honest opinion of his work. “It goes without saying, writes Zola, that I prefer a frank evaluation to a couple of indulgent lines.”
    Published in Correspondance, vol. 1, p. 422-423 (letter 129).
    This is a very significant letter, not only because of its content but also because letters from this period (the 1860’s) are relatively rare.

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.

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to B.-H. Gausseron

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to B.-H. Gausseron (1845-1913), [Paris], 17 August [1866], 1 p.
    Zola writes to Bernard-Henri Gausseron, who was, at the time, “aspirant-répétiteur” at the Lycée Napoléon [Condorcet] in Paris, requesting that he not use the letter of introduction which Zola had give him for Gustave Bourdin, one of the directors of the Figaro, since Bourdin was gravely ill at the time.
    Gausseron would go on to become a professor, a rare books dealer and a literary critic.
    To be published in Lettres retrouvées (eds. Owen Morgan and Dorothy E. Speirs), Montréal, Presses de l’Université de Montréal, 2010. The volume is set to appear in September 2010.
    The interest of this letter lies in its « destinataire » and, once again, in the fact that it dates from Zola’s early years.

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 Jules Claretie

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Jules Claretie (1840-1913), Paris, 7 October 1868, 1 p.
    An extremely interesting confidential letter, in which Zola, at the time a young writer for La Tribune, writes to Claretie who, he has learned, has just been hired by the same newspaper. Zola requests that Claretie, who was already writing for a number of newspapers, not submit articles of the same sort which Zola was writing (his “chroniques”), since Zola’s work at the Tribune represented for him, at the time, “the only sure work that I have at the moment”. Published in Correspondance, vol. II, p. 158-159 (letter 36).

A.l.s. from Zola to Édouard Bauer

  1. A.l.s. from Zola to Édouard Bauer, Paris, 8 February 1869, 1 p.
    Zola writes to Bauer, the founder and director of L’Événement illustré, in which Zola’s novel, La Famille Cayol (initial title of Les Mystères de Marseille) had been appearing since 23 October, 1868. Zola has learned that the newspaper is changing hands and Zola wants to know if the debt of 200 francs, which is owed to him by Bauer, will be assumed by the new owner, M. Damé. Published in Correspondance, vol. II, p. 195 (letter 68).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Edmond Duranty

  1. A,l.s. from Émile Zola to Edmond Duranty (1833-1880), [Paris, 30 July 1875], 1 p.
    Zola thanks Duranty, a prominent journalist and novelist, for lending him a book, and apologizes for not returning it in person. He is pressed, however, since he and his wife are leaving for their holiday in the seaside town of Saint-Aubin.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. II, p. 402 (letter 224).

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 Ernest Hamm

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Ernest Hamm (1852-?), Médan, 15 December 1878, 1 p.
    Zola writes to Ernest Hamm, a journalist with the Progrès de la Charente-Inférieure, to thank him for his article on Zola’s Théâtre, a collection of the texts of Zola’s plays Bouton de rose, Thérèse Raquin and Les Héritiers Rabourdin, which had appeared in September 1878. Zola apologizes to Hamm for not being able to send him copies of his novels, since he is not in Paris, but suggests that Hamm contact Zola’s editor (Georges Charpentier), who is in charge of distributing Zola’s novels to members of the press.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. X, p. 465 (letter S43).

A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Louis Boussès de Fourcaud

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Louis Boussès de Fourcaud (1851-1914), Paris, 18 April 1879, 1 p.
    A brief letter, in which Zola thanks Fourcaud for his article and for having “clearly indicated” Zola’s role in the definition of the naturalist ethic. Zola refers to an article published in Le Gaulois the same day.
    In his article, Fourcaud attacked Zola’s detractors and reiterated Zola’s explanation that he was not in fact the inventor of “naturalism”, but that, as he had stated a few weeks later in his “Lettre à la jeunesse”, he was simply an observer and a documenter of his times.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. III, p. 314 (letter 209).

Zola, Émile, L’assommoir

Zola, Émile, L’assommoir. Drame en cinq actes et neuf tableaux [adaptation de William Busnach et Octave Gastineau], avec une préface d’Émile Zola et un dessin de Georges Clairin, Paris, G. Charpentier, 1881. Original wrappers. Poor condition

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

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to an unknown correspondent, Médan, 1 December 1881, 1 p.
    Note : This letter is written on black-bordered paper. Zola’s mother had died on 17 October, 1880.
    Zola authorizes his correspondent to translate his play, Les Héritiers Rabourdin, and to perform it in Germany, as long as his correspondent shares with him the proceeds of the performances.
    Les Héritiers Rabourdin is a three-act comedy written by Zola in 1873-1874. It was performed at the Théâtre Cluny in Paris from the 3rd to the 20th of November 1874, but met with little success.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. IV, p. 241-242 (letter 175-A).

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).

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

  1. A.l.s. from Émile Zola to Damase Jouaust (1834-1893), Médan, 1 January 1883, 2 p.
    Zola tells Jouaust that he can come to Médan any day he likes, but requests that he come in the afternoon, since Zola needs his mornings to finish the novel he is currently working on (Au bonheur des dames). Jouaust was negotiating with Zola for the publication of a deluxe edition of one of Zola’s earlier novels, Une page d’amour, which appeared in December 1884 in a two-volume set with ten drawings by Edouard Dantan, engraved by A. Duvivier, and was preceded by a foreword by Zola.
    Published in Correspondance, vol. IV, p. 365 (letter 289).

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 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 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. 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. 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).

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),

Darzens, Rodolphe, L’Amante du Christ

Darzens, Rodolphe, L’Amante du Christ, scène évangélique, en vers. Représentée au Théâtre-Libre le 19 octobre 1888, préface de E. Ledrain. Frontispice gravé par Félicien Rops, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, 1888. – With a dedicace: «À Mademoiselle Darsac. Hommage d’espoir en une création admirable, Rodolphe Darzens, 90». + a second copy marked «C», with signature of actress «Van Doren».

Gramont, Louis de, Rolande

Gramont, Louis de, Rolande. Pièce en quatre actes (cinq tableaux), Paris, Tresse & Stock Éditeurs, 1888. – With annotations throughout. Copy marked «Souffleur». With printed dedicace: «A Antoine, directeur du Théâtre-Libre et aux interprètes de Rolande. Reconnaissance profonde, Gramont.»

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).

Corneau, André, Belle-Petite

Corneau, André, Belle-Petite, comédie en un acte, Paris, Tresse & Stock, 1888. – With a dedicace: «A André Antoine, le plus aimable des directeurs. Témoignage de vive gratitude et de cordiale sympathie, André Corneau.»

Aicard, Jean, Le Père Lebonnard, Dans le guignol

-Aicard, Jean, Le Père Lebonnard, drame en quatre actes en vers. Représenté pour la première fois, à Paris, sur le Théâtre-Libre, le lundi 21 octobre 1889, Paris, E. Dentu Éditeur, 1889

  • Aicard, Jean, Dans le guignol, prologue en un acte, en prose. Représenté au Théâtre Libre le lundi 21 octobre 1889, Paris, E. Dentu Éditeur, 1889. With annotations. With a printed dedicace: «A M. Antoine, directeur du Théâtre-Libre. Cher et vaillant artiste, En jouant Le Père Lebonnard au Théâtre-Libre, vous avez présenté au public, en pleine lumière, une pièce qu’on avait étouffée ailleurs. En donnant le Prologue, vous vous êtes fait, vous directeur et comédien, l’avocat courageux de l’écrivain dramatique contre les exigences toujours croissantes des gens de théâtre. Je vous remercie. J.A.»

Hennique, Léon, Amour, Poeuf

-Hennique, Léon, Amour, drame en trois parties. Représenté pour la première fois, sur le Théâtre de l’Odéon, le 6 mars 1890, Paris, Tresse & Stock, Éditeur, 1890.
-Hennique, Léon, Poeuf, Paris, Tresse & Stock, 1887. Incomplete. – With a dedicace: «À Monsieur A. Antoine (Jacques Damour tel que je l’avais rêvé!), avec mille remerciements et l’assurance de ma sympathie la plus cordiale, Léon Hennique.»

Ancey, Georges, Grand’Mère

Ancey, Georges, Grand’Mère, comédie en trois actes, Paris, Tresse & Stock, 1890.Partially uncut. With a triple dedicace: «À ma petite Madeleine chérie, Georges. – À mon petit lapin blanc, Georges. – À mon petit poulinet, Georges.»

Ibsen, Henrik, Les revenants

Ibsen, Henrik, Les revenants. Drame familial en trois actes, traduits par Rodolphe Darzens, édition ornée d’un portrait d’Henrik Ibsen gravé en taille-douce, Paris, Tresse & Stock, 1890.
With a dedicace: «À André Antoine, à l’artiste unique, à l’acteur sans qualificatif, à l’ami… le seul, Rodolphe Darzens, de la part d’Henrik Ibsen, mai 1890».

Georges Ancey (L’école des veufs and Grand’mère)

-Press clippings (221 pages) following the career of actor René Maupré – clippings ranging from 1904-1930 approx. (many clippings are not dated) – some clippings with photographs – great variety of important French newspapers: L’Humanité, Le Matin, La Petite République, L’Aurore, Le Monde illustré, Le Figaro, etc. – clippings about the Théâtre Antoine (Maupré was one of its stars) – some playbills from the Théâtre Antoine – some clippings from American and English newspapers (from p. 145) and some from Italian newspapers (p. 192 sq.) – a very interesting article by Maupré himself (1920?) on the future of cinema as a new art for the “masses” (p. 177).
-8 photographs (black and white) glued on coloured cardboard – Antoine, Camaret, staging of Coriolan by Antoine.

Bergerat, Émile, Le Capitaine Fracasse, La nuit bergamasque

-Bergerat, Émile, Le Capitaine Fracasse. Comédie héroïque extraite du roman de Théophile Gautier, cinq actes et un prologue en vers, avec un avertissement de l’auteur, Paris, G. Charpentier et Cie, 1890. – With a dedicace: «À André Antoine, cordialement, Émile Bergerat.»
-Bergerat, Émile, La nuit bergamasque, tragi-comédie en trois actes représentée au Théâtre-Libre le 30 mai 1887, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, 1887. With a dedicace: «À [?] Antoine, son ami, Emile Bergerat.»

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).

Becque, Henry, La Parisienne

Becque, Henry, La Parisienne, comédie en trois actes, Paris, Calmann Lévy, 1890. – With dry stamp: «Société en commandite Antoine et Cie, Théâtre Antoine». Copy marked «B Régie», with copious annotations throughout. With extra material: drawing of the set.

Courteline, Georges, Lidoire

Courteline, Georges, Lidoire, tableau militaire en un acte, représenté aux Menus-Plaisirs, par la troupe du Théâtre-Libre, les 6, 8 et 9 juin 1891, Paris, Ernest Flammarion, Éditeur, n.d. – Copy marked «B».

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).
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