ELUARD PAUL: (1895-1952) French Poet, widely considered one of the founders of the surrealist movement. A rare and ...

ELUARD PAUL: (1895-1952) French Poet, widely considered one of the founders of the surrealist movement. A rare and very good content love letter, A.L.S., `Ton Paul´, one page, 12mo, n.p., Tuesday evening, n.d. [Summer 1930], to Marie Benz, Nush, in French. One of the very few letters by Eluard to Nush as they were almost never far one from each other until her death, the present one is written shortly after their first encounter. Eluard states `Ma petite Nush chérie, j´ai reçu ta lettre ce matin. Elle est très bien écrite et m´a consolé un peu de ne pas t´avoir auprès de moi´ (Translation: `My dear little Nush, I received your letter this morning. It is very well written and consoled me a little for not having you with me´) Eluard further refers to his work with André Breton, saying `Je travaille sans arrêt avec Breton. Ce matin et cet après-midi, nous avons écrit ''Le sentiment de la nature'' et ce soir nous faisons ''Il n´y a rien d´incompréhensible''. Nous voulons avoir fini dans deux jours car je vais partir´ (Translation: `I work constantly with Breton. This morning and this afternoon we wrote ''The feeling of nature'' and this evening we are writing ''There is nothing incomprehensible''. We want to have it done in two days because I'm leaving´) Further again, Eluard sends very warm words to the woman he is in love with, saying `Ma belle Nush, je pense à toi. Je t´aime, tu sais. Dis-moi bien tout ce que tu fais. Ecris-moi chaque jour. Je t´embrasse, je te tiens dans mes bras, je regarde tes beaux yeux. Ton Paul´ (Translation: `My beautiful Nush, I'm thinking of you. I love you, you know. Tell me everything you do. Write to me every day. I kiss you, I hold you in my arms, I look at your beautiful eyes. Your Paul´) With blank integral leaf. VG Maria Benz (1906-1946) Best known by her nickname ''Nusch''. French Model and surrealist Artist. She was introduced to Eluard in 1930 by Man Ray and Pablo Picasso, getting married in 1934. They produced a surrealist photomontage and other work, and was the subject of ''Facile, '' a collection of Éluard's poetry published as a photogravure book, illustrated with Man Ray´s nude photographs of her. She was also the subject of several cubist portraits and sketches by Picasso in the late 1930s, and is said to have had an affair with him. Nusch worked for the French Resistance during the Nazi occupation of France during World War II. She died at the early age of 40 due to a stroke. During the summer of 1930, Paul Eluard and Andre Breton wrote jointly L´Immaculée Conception (''The Immaculate Conception''). The two prose poems mentioned in the present letter by Eluard, ''Le sentiment de la nature'' and ''Il n´y a rien d´incompréhensible'' are regarded as some of the most important examples of surrealist prose.