Winston CHURCHILL – Autographed letter signed to Countess Greffulhe.

Sir Winston CHURCHILL (1874.1965)

Autographed letter signed to Countess Greffulhe.

One octavo page on paper stamped with the letterhead of the British Exchequer Chancellery.

London. December 30, 1926.

“There is absolutely nothing to be done for him.”

Churchill, Chancellor of the Exchequer, comments on the situation of his former classmate Murland Evans, and wishes to see the Countess, the inspiration for the Duchess of Guermantes, again in Paris.

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“Dear Madame Greffulhe, Thank you so much for writing to me for poor Murland Evans . I heard from him the other day when I was in Paris, and once more went carefully into his case, but found that as you say there is absolutely nothing to be done for him. It would be a great pleasure to both of us to see you in Paris some day when we are all there at the same time. Yours very sincerely. Winston Churchill. »

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French version: "Dear Madame Greffulhe, I thank you most sincerely for writing to me about poor Murland Evans. I heard about him the other day when I was in Paris, and once again I examined his case carefully, but I found that, as you say, there is absolutely nothing that can be done for him. It would be a great pleasure for both of us to see you in Paris sometime when we are all there at the same time. Yours sincerely, Winston Churchill."

It is both disconcerting and fascinating to imagine Churchill in the Proustian universe: one of the models for the Duchess of Guermantes, cousin of Robert de Montesquiou, Countess Greffulhe, was one of the prominent figures of the Faubourg Saint-Germain.