Jean COQUELIN (1865-1944). L.A.S. "Jean", Bordeaux May 24, 1904, addressed to his father Constant Coquelin; 8pages in-8 on the letterhead of the Hôtel restaurant du Chapon Fin, envelope. Beautiful, long letter on Edmond Rostand's nervous state and the progress of Chantecler. Jean Coquelin describes in detail his visit, in the company of Henri Hertz (with whom he shares the direction of the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin), to Cambo to Edmond Rostand, "suffering, nervous [...] suffering from deep despondency and terrible bouts of neurasthenia", cared for and comforted by his wife. Rostand "starts crying his eyes out [...] he tells us that the first and second are almost finished, that the third and fourth are less so, and that the fifth he doesn't even care about, that it's nothing"... But he came up against terrible difficulties that he feared he would never be able to overcome. Jean Coquelin lyrically recalls Rostand's reading of the play, and at the same time tells his father... "C'est fou! génial! inouï! [...] And it's madly touching and beautiful... and all the more beautiful because it's him. It's his own doubt... Rostand, to always equal himself; and we cried our eyes out because it was so beautiful; so much like him"... And Rostand finishes his reading, "exhausted, in water". Mme Rostand would like Coquelin [who is to play the title role] to come and give Rostand courage... [Finally, the play was scheduled at the Porte Saint-Martin for 1909, but Coquelin aîné died in January. Lucien Guitry took over the role, and the play premiered on February 7, 1910, with Jean Coquelin as the dog Patou and Simone as the Pheasant, but it was a failure with audiences and critics alike].