Leon TROTSKI (1879-1940) Russian revolutionary theorist and politician. L.A.S. "L Tr", [Prinkipo] April 3, 1930, [to his French friend and lawyer Gérard Rosenthal]; 2pages in-4 in blue ink; in French. Interesting letter from his exile in Turkey, a year after his expulsion from the USSR, on the editorial hassles encountered by his autobiography Ma Vie, and its promotion abroad, etc. He reports on his dealings with his publishers, notably Rieder for "Polish and Yidish editions", sold for the "derisory sum" of 3,000 francs... "I think this famous 'Yidish' saves the situation". As for the Russian publisher, he offered "9,000 marks for the Yidish (for America). This shows that this is an important issue", and that Rieder is trying to swindle them: "Isn't this a formal swindle? I suppose that with other foreign publishers the situation is not in order either. You see how this man behaves towards you. He lies at every step like the last of the scoundrels. His German publisher Fischer admits that 20% is enough for him, "given that with my books we don't have to look for publishers through intermediaries and so on. And this time it's not autobiography! [...] Rieder always refers to the "rules" of the French book trade. But these are international rights, not French ones". Trotsky was annoyed that no mention was made of his autobiography: "But why - oh, heavens - weren't we giving anything to the press, even to La Vérité? [...] I don't understand it. Perhaps they find it "inconvenient" during the talks? A serious mistake. The book has been published. It must be defended as such in spite of the talks"... He thinks the letter Souvarine sent him might now be useful...