Pierre LOUŸS. L.A., April 26 [1919], to a friend, and autograph manuscript; 7pages in-8 and 3pages small in-4 (foxing). About Raoul Ponchon.Louÿs is preparing an article on Ponchon and is indignant that, in his native town [La Roche-sur-Yon], the librarian has never heard of him, adding "that never has a local newspaper, review, bulletin or directory been adorned with the name Ponchon". His research revealed that Ponchon "is a Buonaparte type: he changed one letter in his name" and that his father was "Captain Treasurer of a blue, red and gold regiment". Ponchon turned 70, and it's a shame we didn't celebrate his birthday: "I had thirty poems by him (from thirty years ago) copied at random. More than half have remained excellent, or rather they have become so. Nothing has aged. It crushes all the burlesque poetry of the 19th century, including Banville, and other stuff too. It passes all the Scarrons, and even St Amant. Ponchon is an immortal man.In the manuscript, Louÿs addresses Ponchon: "At what age will you believe you are immortal. Your first book has forty brothers signed Ponchon a thousand times over. There will never have been a more considerable satyrical work than yours when posterity will be able to read Ponchon in forty volumes with album, lexicon, index, notes and bibliographies".A copy of the poem L'Eau de Ponchon (1911) is enclosed.