Alfred JARRY announces his next two works. 1907.

Alfred JARRY (1873.1907)

Autograph letter signed to Thadée Natanson.

One page in-8°. Autograph envelope.

Laval. July 12, 1907.

“ I wanted to offer La Dragonne to Octave Mirbeau as La Chandelle Verte to you and your brothers. »

Beautiful letter from Jarry thanking Natanson and Octave Mirbeau for their financial assistance, while offering to dedicate two of his next works to them: La Dragonne and La Chandelle Verte.

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“Thank you again for everything, my dear friend, to you, to your brothers and to Mirbeau. The trip to Paris went well, everything is in order on rue Cassette and if I did not go to see you, it was only my still limited strength that was to blame. I was only able to go out – and even then only in my neighborhood – by car and returned during the night from Wednesday to Thursday. Curious coincidence: I had a book dedication project with Mirbeau that was old enough for me not to fear that it would be inspired by recognition : I confided it to Vallette and to others. other friends several months ago: I wanted to offer La Dragonne to Octave Mirbeau as La Chandelle Verte to you and your brothers. In this regard, I do not have Mirbeau's address in Laval, and would be happy to find it in order to write to him. The trip, far from demolishing me, has given me back my nerves and the work will go well. I even hope to pay off all these friendly debts at the end of August which have been of great service to me but which I am a little confused about. And I shake your hand affectionately. A. Jarry »

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Suffering from tuberculosis, Jarry joined his sister Charlotte in Laval in the spring of 1906. Throughout 1907, with the exception of short stays in Paris, Jarry stayed most often in Laval, living in the family home on Rue by Bootz.

His Parisian friends, the three Natanson brothers: Thadée, Alexandre and Louis-Alfred but also Alfred Valette and Octave Mirbeau, mobilized to provide him with financial assistance. Jarry, who was in fact in complete destitution, did not know how to settle his rent on Rue Cassette in Paris and keep his landlord, Henri Garnier, who was threatening to evict him, waiting so that he could recover his manuscripts. remained in this accommodation.

Jarry's works in progress will be published posthumously. The offer to dedicate one of them, La Dragonne , to Octave Mirbeau remained unanswered. La Dragonne , a novel which remained unfinished and dedicated to the memory of his mother, occupied Jarry during the last five years of his life and was only published in a fragmentary manner in 1943.

As for La Chandelle Verte , inspired by the vocabulary of Father Ubu, Jarry wanted to bring together his chronicles and pataphysical exercises published between 1901 and 1904.