Louis-Ferdinand Céline about to move to Meudon. 1951.

Louis-Ferdinand DESTOUCHES , known as Louis-Ferdinand CÉLINE (1894-1961)

Autographed letter signed to Paul Marteau.

Three folio pages. Autographed, stamped envelope.

Unpublished letter to the Pléiade correspondence.

Menton. 14 [July 1951]

"As for Féerie, which is supposed to bail me out, I'm paying for my thousandth migraine... 10,000 ^euros !"

Back in France after his amnesty, Céline, entangled in writing Féerie pour une autre fois, considered moving to the outskirts of Paris to find some peace and quiet. It was in the famous Meudon villa – Villa Maïtou – that the Destouches couple settled a few weeks later.

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“My dear friend, Fate is quite amusing – I leave Mikkelsen, a seasoned old swindler, and stumble upon his in-laws in Menton, who are his perfect opposites, like geometric shapes. Even more enraged, they imprison their maid and starve her to death. Outrageous avarice ! No surprise there; life goes to the trouble of always playing you more or less the same comedy. Only the actors change their skin, their babble… that’s all.”

After careful consideration, since you seem interested in my condition and my plans, here's what Lucette and I have decided: to find a small, vacant in Saint-Germain-en-Laye so we can move in. As soon as possible. Life with these malevolent lunatics is impossible . I'm choosing Saint-Germain primarily for its location: airy and not far from Paris—Lucette wants a small garden for her animals. I own an apartment on Rue Claude Debussy in Saint-Germain and a house in Saint-Leu-la-Forêt. I'm going to try to sell both properties to buy a vacant home in Saint-Germain. That's my plan. Brittany? I'm too well-known there—and besides, I'm afraid of the provinces; the countryside? Too isolated! But the most serious issue is Lucette's condition. We'll be in Paris on September 6th, and we have an appointment with Tailhefer on Saturday, September 8th at 3:30 p.m. […]

As for Féerie [his novel Féerie pour une autre fois ] , which is supposed to help me replenish my coffers, I'm paying for my thousandth migraine... 10,000 ^euros ! It's day and night labor, which I'm fortunately used to! With warm regards, gratitude, and sincere regards from both of you. LF. Céline. I'm not writing to anyone .

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In October 1951, Céline and Lucette moved into a dilapidated house at 25 ter Route des Gardes in Meudon, which they named Villa Maïtou . Dr. L.F. Destouches, a physician and graduate of the Faculty of Medicine in Paris, affixed a professional plaque to the fence surrounding the property, as well as a plaque for Lucette Almanzor advertising classical dance classes. It was within these walls that Céline died on July 1, ¹⁹⁶¹ .

A wealthy industrialist and great admirer of Céline, Paul Marteau (1885-1966) was one of Céline's most loyal supporters during his trial and upon his return to France. Having returned from Menton on July 24, 1951, Céline and Lucette stayed with the Marteau family in Neuilly-sur-Seine until early October.