François MITTERRAND is exhausted by the exercises of his military service.

François Mitterrand (1916.1996)

Autograph letter signed to Marie-Louise Terrasse, known as Catherine Langeais.

A page in 4°. [Fort d’Ivry]. December 2, 1938.

« The mind still holds the body, fatigue serves as intoxication. »

Mitterrand exhausted by the exercises of his military service.

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“My delightful, This evening, my limbs are broken : a 20 km walk at full speed, and relentless exercise. The body wanders in a domain bathed in fatigue where annihilation floats, but the mind still holds the body, fatigue serves as intoxication. My beloved, I have been thinking about you all day. This evening yesterday, I am already putting it in the memories to keep, and to relive. It makes me augur well for these hours of intimacy that we will have every evening of our lives: our love identifies itself more and more with our life, it gives it its meaning .

My little girl, I am writing to you lying down. I fall asleep terribly. Rarely have I needed more rest. But telling you my love does not thwart this need, this desire for peace. My beloved, I will stop this little word there. I just wanted to tell you that I love you. Francis. See you tomorrow night, darling. Arrange to have a good time the day after tomorrow. Good evening, my darling Zou. Fr. "

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Catherine Langeais (1923.1998), whose real name is Marie-Louise Terrasse, met François Mitterrand on January 28, 1938, during the École Normale Supérieure ball, with whom, although only 15 years old, she became engaged. Mitterrand wrote more than 300 letters to the woman he nicknamed Zou.