FLORIAN, Jean-Pierre Claris de. Set of 10 letters: 5 unsigne - Lot 179

FLORIAN, Jean-Pierre Claris de. Set of 10 letters: 5 unsigned autograph letters and 5 letters dictated by him, all addressed to his uncle, the Marquis de Florian, in Geneva and Ferney-Voltaire, 1781 to 1787 (autograph) and 1787 to 1790 (dictated). 17 pp. in-8 (autograph) and 16 pp. in-8 (dictations). VERY INTERESTING AND DANCING CORRESPONDENCE. Beautiful, intimate letters. He talks about his writings, including Numa (2nd and 3rd editions), his friends, his rivalries, the affairs of the time: Necker, Buffon, M. de Polastron, M. d'Argental, chevalier de Reynaud, M. de Tessan, Abbé d'Estrées, Madame Jolly, M. de Bellefay, the Geneva booksellers, the "mediocre success" of the first performance of Le Baiser and the great success of the second, etc. May 17, 1781: "[...] This unfortunate Tessan has been here for nine or ten months shearing twelve sous. Mr de St-Roman is dead, [...] he ate my lunch, which was boiling in front of my fire, and then left. How about that? [...]. I'll pay my debts with my own works, and I'm counting on my Baiser 5the play Le Baiser ou la Bonne Fée] to pay for all my furniture [...] If you want news, I'll tell you that Mr Necker is being quibbled with all the time [...]". He mentions Hermine and Arrodian, La Soirée espagnole, etc. November 29, 1781 "[...] obliged to do the business of my regiment, to play tragedy and comedy at M. d'Argental's, to play Le Baiser at the Comédie italienne, to move house, to have my new apartment arranged at the Hôtel de Toulouse, I have no time to breathe [...] He mentions M. de Richebourg and is going to see M. de Buffon [...]". July 14, 1782 "[...] I am approaching the fatal moment, for my verse piece to be judged at the Académie [...]. There were one hundred and one pieces in the competition, 92 were rejected, and I am in the 9 that remain [...]. The day before yesterday, I played the comedy at M. d'Argental's. The two tickets were a huge success, and I'm very pleased and surprised [...]". June 30, 1886: [...] please tell the Sage that I thank him [...]. Tell him that his letter to the Duke of Penthièvre is useless [...]. I am still courting Mr d'Autun [...] it is Mr de Pompignan archbishop of Vienne who is my rival. [...] I no longer speak to you of Numa. The second edition is about to be published. [...] I'm planning a trip to Spain, where I have materials to fetch, and I'll leave from here via Bordeaux, Bayonne, Madrid, Seville, Cadiz, Granada, where I mainly do business, Valencia, Barcelona, Perpignan, Montpellier, Durfort and Florian, which I want to see again, Arles or the new place where our Abbess would live, Ferney, the Switzerland of Paris. For that I need 8 months, 6,000 and a heartbreak. The Prince will give me the 8 months [...]". March 2, 1790: "[...] Girod delivered your copy of Voltaire in-8 to M. Mugnot. It is the most beautiful and the most expensive possible"; "The King has not given the principality of Dombes to M. le Duc de Penthièvre in exchange", etc. Dense correspondence. MLL