Moving letter from Alfred JARRY a few weeks before his death.

Alfred JARRY (1873.1907)

Autograph letter signed to Alfred Vallette.

Three pages in-8°. Autograph envelope.

 [Laval] August 30, 1907.

« We no longer need peace of mind, for the excellent reason that we have no more in-18s to do at the moment. »

Moving letter from Jarry, a few weeks before his death, to the director of Mercure de France, Alfred Vallette.

Jarry – speaking as a “we” with Ubuesque accents – confirmed to Vallette that he had sent the manuscript of La Dragonne to the publisher Fasquelle who already had La Papesse Jeanne . He is also working on the completion of La Chandelle Verte and is rather optimistic about his financial situation and his state of health.

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“Mr., We thank you for your good advice and we apologize for our letter: in fact, we have already used your complacency too much in the name of Mercury. I don't think there will be the slightest difficulty on Thadée's side (in this regard, the manuscript left this morning, it even cost a lot of money to post). As for Fasquelle's nomadic and ambulatory state, this difficulty will be easily resolved. Alex. Natanson often accompanied him. You will tell us that we are too optimistic... it is a sign, we believe, of regained health: the life of a small country or at least provincial owner has singularly armored us. We no longer need peace of mind, for the excellent reason that we no longer have any in-18 to do for the moment (Fasquelle will undoubtedly receive tomorrow, from Natanson, the Dragonne – what a book it has more than 400 pages, which is perhaps a fault - we are finishing putting in order The Green Candle, (Speculations), and it has the Greek novel [La Papesse Joan].

As for Corbeil's accounts, what are there? There is Jobard, a bistro (our name is not Jobard!) who wrote to us very politely; and there is Creusy who has not written to us at all, no doubt because we paid him in large part. Dubois is more worrying, but he can't do anything – let's not forget that our land is alienated, and that we will also be on the scene. So we will be back soon, sir. Your opinion is good, to ask a little more from Natanson in view of the trips to Paris... but we know our muscles and know that it grows back a little faster than in humans.

As for Troulet, if he annoys us, we will simply offer to let him have his land,  after having had it mitered , and he will still be the joker. The Tunnel café will consider itself lucky, in the absence of immediate payment, if we come from time to time to have a two-cent drink and say a few good words. The only problem is that we don't see the possibility of having everything arranged for departure in the coming week... but I think that in the absence of a vacation of any length we will at least see you on Sunday? We shake your hand. Alfred Jarry.

For the boat, we will find some, we made it more difficult, the main thing was to get back on our feet first... and it's done... although the completion of the in-18 was very contrary to the doctoral prescription : rest cure”.

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In the last months of his life, Alfred Jarry, ill and penniless, alternated brief visits to Paris with longer stays with his sister Charlotte in Laval. It was from this city that he sent to his publisher the manuscript of La Papesse Jeanne by Emmanuel Rhodes which he had translated from Greek in collaboration with Doctor Saltas and which was his last completed work.