Émile ZOLA. L.A.S., Médan December 22, 1882, to Théodore Duret; 2pages in-8. "What a traveler you are! One thinks you're at one point on the globe, and you're at the antipodes. Your letter comes as a great surprise to me. Mon Dieu! non, je ne connais personne à Saint-Pétersbourg, sauf M. Stassioulevitch, le directeur du Messager de l'Europe, et encore pas assez intimement pour me permettre de vous adresser à lui, Je regrette bien ma sauvagerie qui me rend si réfractaire aux relations nouvelles. But you must already have friends there, because you're a cosmopolitan, you're at home everywhere. And since Russia surprises and moves you, I'm sure you'll tell me all about it when you get back. In March, we'll be in Paris, which I hope you won't pass through without asking us to dinner. I'm still here for another month, immersed in finishing my novel [La Joie de vivre]. I haven't moved since June, and I confess I'm very tired. But, what can I say? I've got a lot of work to do, and I need to make this effort to get it done"...