Subasta Bidspirit | BALZAC HONORE DE: (1799-1850) 'I

BALZAC HONORE DE: (1799-1850) 'I will no longer receive letters from people who take pleasure in bothering me under the veil of anonymity’ - BALZAC HONORE DE: (1799-1850) French novelist and playwright. An important A.L.S., de Bc. , four pages, 8vo, n.p. (Passy), 5 th January 1844, to Jacques-Julien Dubochet, in French. Balzac states that nothing should prevent the resumption of deliveries of La Comedie humaine and asks Dubochet to send a note to all of those who will take deliveries reading ‘L'absence de M. de Balzac a produit une interruption momentanee dans l'envoi des livraisons de la Comedie humaine; mais cette interruption a ete mise a profit par les Editeurs qui se sont entendus avec l'auteur afin de combler les deux lacunes qui existaient dans l'ordre des volumes. Ainsi, apres avoir publie les tomes 10 et 11 (2 et 3 des Scenes de la vie parisienne) ils seront en mesure de publier le tome 7 (3e des Scenes de la vie de province) et le tome 4 (4e des Scenes de la vie privee), en sorte qu'apres la publication de ces 4 volumes, les onze volumes publies seront les onze premiers de La Comedie humaine’ (Translation: ‘The absence of M. de Balzac produced a momentary interruption in the sending of deliveries of La Comedie humaine; but this interruption was taken advantage of by the Editors who came to an agreement with the author in order to fill the two gaps which existed in the order of the volumes. Thus, after having published volumes 10 and 11 (2 and 3 of Scenes de la vie Parisienne) they will be able to publish volume 7 (3 rd of Scenes de la vie de province) and volume 4 (4 th of Scenes de la vie privee), so that after the publication of these 4 volumes, the eleven volumes published will be the first eleven of La Comedie humaine’ ). Balzac continues to explain ‘Le public et les reclamants sauront ainsi que l'entreprise n'est pas abandonnee et je ne recevrai plus de lettres de gens qui se font un plaisir de me tracasser sous le voile de l'anonyme. C'est moi qui ai predit que le public accepterait cette publication comme une chose tres serieuse et qu'il finirait par y voir une histoire au lieu d'y voir des romans. J'ai sept volumes d'ouvrages nouveaux a faire, a faire paraitre et a placer soit en journeaux, soit en librairie pour que les deux volumes qui font lacune soient completes. Il faut des delais pour qu'ils se publient soit dans les journaux, soit chez les librairies - mais il faut surtout les faire’ (Translation: ‘The public and the complainants will thus know that the enterprise is not abandoned, and I will no longer receive letters from people who take pleasure in bothering me under the veil of anonymity. It was I who predicted that the public would accept this publication as a very serious thing and that they would end up seeing it as a story instead of seeing it as novels. I have seven volumes of new works to do, to publish and to place either in journals or in bookstores so that the two volumes which are missing are complete. Delays are needed for them to be published either in newspapers or in bookstores – but above all they must be done’ ) and further places some blame at the feet of his editor, ‘Je vous repete, mon cher Dubochet, que non seulement vous arretez l'affaire, mais vous m'ote les moyens de faciliter le placement des 4 ouvrages que j'ai a publier. Je confie cette lettre a Hetzel afin que vous en conferiez……. Donc, je reclame encore une fois, et ce sera la derniere, votre volonte, votre activite qui m'ont ete plus que promises (c'est un article ecrit) pour faire finir le volume de Plon, et pour faire marcher rapidement Langrand. Le 1er volume des Scenes de la vie politique sera un-cas necessaire pour arriver aux delais des publications nouvelles, et croyez bien, mon cher Dubochet, que je m'arrange et travaille en ce moment a faire des surprises a ceux qui pourraient me croire ou mort, ou eteint ou affaibli’ (Translation: ‘I repeat to you, my dear Dubochet, that not only are you stopping the affair, but you are depriving me of the means of facilitating the placing of the 4 works which I have to publish. I am entrusting this letter to Hetzel for your conferment……..So, I claim once again, and this will be the last, your will, your activity which was more than promised to me (it is a written article) to finish the volume of Plon, and to make Langrand work quickly. The 1 st volume of Scenes de la vie politique will be a necessary case in order to arrive on time for new publications, and believe me, my dear Dubochet, that I am managing and working at the moment to surprise those who might believe me dead, or extinct or weakened’ ). A letter of outstanding content illustrating the editorial difficulties Balzac faced in the publication of his masterpiece La Comedie humaine . A couple of very light, minor stains and some minimal age wear, otherwise VG Jacques-Julien Dubochet (1798-1868) Swiss lawyer, publisher and newspaper editor associated with L’Illustration .