Hans BELLMER (1902-1975) L.A.S., Castres May 18, 1946, [to Joe Bousquet]; 2pages in-4. Desperate letter, notably about his divorce and the moral incomprehension surrounding his work on the Poupée. He is very worried about not hearing from Bousquet, "tired of my despair, my shipwreck calls [...] - I'm afraid! - All my creative powers are beginning to fail me, my nervous system and my resistance are wearing down at a terrifying rate. I've got to cut through this knot of snakes or lose my life. But what a source of chicanery, horror and mud: divorce with, as an adversary, a scoundrel of the calibre of my 'wife'". She attacks him "naturally and essentially on moral grounds: my 'perversity' and my 'scandalousness'. [...] I am neither 'scandalous' nor 'perverse'. I am just the opposite. [...] to such an extent that in the form of revolt, anti-obscurantism etc., the scandalous and perverse elements enter my production as its most effective engine, almost as a unique engine"... Then he talks about the "love letters" containing "erotic undertones" that he sent out too carelessly, and which could be traps... How can he save himself? He must preserve "the essential whole: my life, what I still have to do, to create"... He begins to clear out his belongings, but it takes time. "What about my etchings? - And the documents, the testimonies to gather for the lawyer! - The money to be made!"...