( BONFILS Robert) - COLETTE.Livre Rare Book
L'Entrave.
1913ref. 21235391913. Paris: Librairie des Lettres. 1913. 8vo. Original cream wrappers printed in grey and red uncut preserved in a modern cloth slipcase; pp. iv 307 1 blank; book and inkwell device to upper wrapper and title; a few light stains to upper wrapper short tear to head of upper joint neatly repaired hinges reinforced; uniform light toning light marginal dampstaining mostly at the beginning small hole repaired and traces of adhesive to inner margin of front free endpaper and half-title; overall a remarkably good copy; presentation inscription to half-title in ink: 'A Georges Abric en temoignage d'une grande sympathie Colette de Jouvenel' see below.First edition in book form particularly rare in the original wrappers inscribed by Colette to one of the witnesses at her second wedding.Originally serialised in La Vie Parisienne L'Entrave The Shackle is the sequel to La Vagabonde 1910. Reflecting Colette's own life however the tone of the two novels differs markedly: if La Vagabonde celebrates independence and self-discovery L'Entrave turns inward exploring the ambivalence and quiet disillusion that come with love's constraints. In the intervening years Colette at the time of publication married to Henri Gauthier-Villars better known by his pen name Willy had married the journalist and diplomat Henry de Jouvenel 1876-1935 and given birth to their daughter Colette de Jouvenel 1913-1981. She recalled with characteristic humour in L'Etoile Vesper the double strain of childbearing and serial publication: 'The child and the novel were racing me and La Vie Parisienne which was publishing my unfinished novel in instalments was gaining ground. The child announced that it would arrive first and I screwed the cap back onto my pen'. Colette and de Jouvenel divorced in 1924 after she became romantically involved with his son their affair inspiring her the characters of Phil and Mme Dalleray in Le Ble en herbe 1923.In later years Colette was unsparing in her assessment of L'Entrave criticising its 'narrow ending' 'diminished heroes' and 'blessing tone'.Provenance: From the library of Georges Abric editor-in-chief of Le Matin and a close friend of Henry de Jouvenel. Together with Leon Hamel and Jean Sapene Abric was one of the witnesses temoins at the wedding of Colette and Jouvenal on 19 December 1912.See La Societe des amis de Colette online. hardcover
Henry Sotheran Ltd. · Reino Unido£ 2.500,00≈ € 2.985,86
