HELLENS, Franz (Brussels, 1881-1972), pseudonym... - Lot 93 - Les ventes Damien Voglaire SRL

Lot 93
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HELLENS, Franz (Brussels, 1881-1972), pseudonym... - Lot 93 - Les ventes Damien Voglaire SRL
HELLENS, Franz (Brussels, 1881-1972), pseudonym of Frederic Van Ermengen, Belgian poet, novelist, essayist and critic. Two letters: 1. 23.05.1944, autograph letter signed, 2 pages in-12 addressed to Charles CORDIER, Belgian poet. Beautiful and long critical analysis of Cordier's book, La Journée d'un Professeur (poem in rhythmic prose): "after having reread your Journée d'un professeur in its typographical form, I carry with me the same impression as when I read it in manuscript: it is a beautiful work, original in its conception and its style. This day is a whole material and spiritual world"... Etc.- 2. 12.11.1948, autograph letter signed, 1½ page in-8 addressed to Jean MARSUS (1904- ?), pen name of Marcelle de Clerck, Belgian writer of detective novels, discovered by Stanislas-André Steeman. She created the character of Diana, a young detective whose adventures take place mainly in Italy. According to Michel Lebrun, "these stories, which are light-hearted and in a style that was very much in vogue at the time of the American comedy, are based on excellent knowledge of renewed themes". Hellens is direct: "Dear Madam, / I have received letters and books, yours and Cordier's. / Accustomed to declare my ideas and opinions frankly, I hope you will not mind if I tell you that the cover adopted by the edition of "Les Argonautes" is unsympathetic to me. It is banal, commercial, and in bad taste. I will not hide from you that I do not wish to appear under such a sign. I want a simple cover for my retrospective journey... Etc. He finds the presentation of the two books received, one undoubtedly by Cordier and the other by Marsus, "absolutely inelegant". This letter is important because it gives a date for Hellens' text, which was important but remained in manuscript for a long time and was kept at the Archives et Musée de la Littérature in Brussels. It was finally published in 2000 by Sourour Ben Ali at the Presses universitaires Blaise Pascal in Clermont-Ferrand, from the typescript (ML 3336) from the AML collections and dated May 1966. See Marc Quaghebeur, "Le Voyage rétrospectif. An important text by Franz Hellens, in Studi francesi, 2012. Hellens finally gives Cordier an appointment and gives details of the "fonds des lettres" / Set of 2 letters.
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