MISTRAL FREDERIC: (1830-1914) French writer, Nobel Prize winner for Literature, 1904. Autograph Manuscript, unsigned, one page, 8vo, n.p., n.d., in Occitan. To the centre of the page appears a lightly mounted printed newspaper clipping featuring an extract from a speech given by Georges Leygues at the International Congress of Education which took place at Lyon on 29^th & 30^th October 1894, 'Le reve serait d'arriver a avoir des universités autonomes et rivales, jalouses de leur eclat et de leur prosperite. Ce beau systeme, que la France a cree au treizieme siecle, a ete imite partout en Europe. Nous seuls l'avons abandonne. Il y a faudra revinir et reprendre nos anciennes traditions. Ce sera, croyons-nous, le moyen le plus sur d'assurer l'avenir de nos Facultes, d'accroitre le developpement de celles qui prosperent et de vivifier et de rajeunir celles qui languissent' (Translation: 'The dream would be to have autonomous and rival universities, jealous of their brilliance and their prosperity. This beautiful system, which France created in the thirteenth century, was imitated throughout Europe. We alone have abandoned her. We will have to come back and resume our old traditions. This will be, we believe, the surest means of assuring the future of our faculties, of increasing the development of those which prosper and of vivifying and rejuvenating those which are languishing'). Above the newspaper clipping Mistral has observed, in a somewhat sceptical manner, 'Lioun: eme la paio e lou tems, comme direis en Provenco: Li nespo s'amaduron. Au Congres universitaris que veen de se tenir eici, escoutas co qu'a di M. lou Menistre Leygues!' (French translation: 'Lyon: avec la paille et le temps, comme on dirait en Provence: les nefles muriront. Au Congres universitaire qui vient de se tenir la-bas, on a ecoute ce qu'a dit M. le Ministre Leygues!'; English translation: 'Lyon: with straw and time, as we would say in Provence: the loquats will ripen. At the University Congress which has just been held there, we listened to what the Minister Leygues said!') and beneath the clipping Mistral writes 'Faudra ben que i'avengon is universita provincialo e prouvencalo! Soulamen, fan pieuta quand voules la becado' (French translation: 'Il faudra bien qu'on en arrive aux universites provinciales et provencales! Seulement, elles font pitie quand elles veulent la bourse'; English translation 'We will have to come to the provincial and Provencal universities! Only, they are pitiful when they want the scholarship'). Some light toning and minor age wear, otherwise VG

Georges Leygues (1856-1933) French politician who served as Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts (Minister of National Education) 1894-95 and later as Prime Minister of France 1920-21.