François Mauriac and his novel The Desert of Love.

François Mauriac (1885.1970)

Autographed letter signed to Marcel Thiébaut, director of the Revue de Paris.

Two oblong quarto pages. Wednesday, December 3, 1924.

"My novel is structured in a baroque style."

Mauriac and the publication of his novel The Desert of Love.

“ Dear Sir, I have made the indicated corrections—and many others. I dare not hope that you will be able to publish this whole batch next time. It would have been quite necessary, however, for the cut to have been made there: my novel is constructed in a baroque fashion , and the reader's awakening in the bar scene of the opening pages would require some care… Dear Sir, I believe your duties are not administrative in nature. I am nevertheless writing to you to ask the Review to send me the first installment of my fees. If this is not your responsibility, please tell me who I should contact (provided it is not Mr. Chaumeix, whose policy of not replying to letters I admire. It must certainly simplify things!). I was due to receive ten thousand francs now and five thousand sometime in January. If you have the courage, take another look at these proofs. Last time we left in some notorious typos. But it doesn't bother me anymore: people only read with one eye.” Yours sincerely, Mauriac – “ Sulfur, ” you should have seen that pollen in the Landes region this spring… It would only have been understandable to your subscribers in the Landes, obviously a minority! – Have you had any “complaints from subscribers”? Is it popular?”

The Desert of Love was written by Mauriac between January and September 1924. Initially published as a serial in La Revue de Paris at the end of 1924, it was published by Éditions Grasset the following year and was awarded the Grand Prix du Roman by the French Academy in 1926.