Louise MICHEL and the agony of the old society.

Louise MICHEL (1830.1905)

Autograph letter signed to comrade Alexandre Roy.  

Four pages in-8°. Co-written with her friend Charlotte Vauvelle.

London. [June 18, 1900]. Handwritten envelope.

Herbarium prints (kept in a separate envelope) in the central pages.

« Yes, it all seems quite horrible, but all agonies are like that

Louise Michel observes the agony of the old society and hopes for the new century.

“My dear friend, A word while we wait (…) We are well and will soon be without sending you this long-promised letter. Your carnations arrived so full of life and seemed so eager to live that I put them in a glass where even the buds perked up. Yes, everything seems quite horrible, but all agonies are like that. That of the old society is the agony of an ogress. May she, this time, die there giving birth to the new century. ”

After a few lines written by Charlotte Vauvelle, who hopes to finally meet their friend during an upcoming lecture tour, Louise Michel adds:

“ I forgot to reply to you about Tolstoy’s Resurrection, which I read in English; that’s the only way we have it. I found it so beautiful that I always come back to it. Resurrection is the true word that will replace the punishment of the old world. A number of us have felt this for a long time. We translated it into French but without writing it down. I would like to see the French translation, which is said to be very good.”