Bertrand CANTAT, imprisoned in Vilnius, awaits his trial after his homicide.

Bertrand CANTAT (1964-)

Autographed letter signed to an Argentinian admirer.

Two quarto pages. Envelope.

Vilnius Prison. January 21, 2004.

Rare letter from the French artist, imprisoned in Vilnius, after his homicide of Marie Trintignant on July 23, 2003. Bertrand Cantat, tried from March 16 to 29, 2004, was sentenced for murder to eight years imprisonment.

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Sabrina, please excuse me first of all for the delay in replying, especially since your letters also took some time to arrive. Thank you so much for your support, the energy you put into your words, your excellent French, and the relevance and clarity of your perspective.

Obviously, the suffering, the shock, the anguish, the regrets, even if what the media presents is distorted, you understand, prevent me from really breathing and leave poetry and struggles largely suspended for the moment.

Thank you for your concern about the impact prison can have on a vulnerable individual. I don't believe that, if I can hold on, I'll lose sight of libertarian thought and action, but I do believe that introspection and a certain spiritual elevation are necessary alongside it, especially in a case like mine. These things must go hand in hand, and it has nothing to do with submitting to any religious dogma, of course. I hope to be worthy of all this despite the suffering. I think the anguish of waiting for the trial, the pain it brings back, and the fear that it will be a complete farce leave little room for anything else right now. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that things will improve.

How is Argentina doing? Is it getting better? Are the forms of solidarity that emerged from the economic disaster continuing and taking on new forms? Let me know if you like. Thank you for your trust, your support, your libertarian approach, and your love of poetry and music. I hope this letter doesn't take forever to reach Buenos Aires. Lots of love. Thanks again. I hope we'll talk again. Sorry if I'm not very talkative right now. Until next time. Bertrand

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Bertrand Cantat was tried from March 16 to 29, 2004, in Vilnius, and sentenced to eight years in prison for murder. Transferred to the Muret detention center (in Haute-Garonne) in September 2004, he was granted parole in October 2007 and released on October 16, 2007, after three and a half years of detention.