Aurélien LUGNÉ-POE (1869-1940). 3 L.A.S., 1904-1906 and n.d., to Fernand Nozière; 6pages in-8 on his letterhead and vignette from L'Œuvre, and 1 1/2 pages in-8 on letterhead from Hôtel Anglais, Stockholm. Interesting letters from the director of L'Œuvre to the playwright and critic. [Late June 1904], on his latest productions. "I, too, would have preferred to give a pure reconstruction without the fudging of a more or less happy adaptation, the known rhyme, & the costumes that also dress Jews, Egyptians or Romans in ephemeral evenings, but, that would have cost me much more. - I would never have interested ten people in my effort. Mind you, what I do, nobody dares to do. - Alone, with my resources, I find a way to give this year A Doll's House [Ibsen] The Oasis [J. Jullien] [The Little Eyolf [Ibsen] Rosmersholm [Ibsen] Philippe II [Verhaeren] & Polyphemus [Samain] Œdipe [à Colone, Sophocles] & L'Ouvrier [de la dernière heure, Guiraud] and more than half of these plays required sets and costumes - & it was presented cleanly [...] Who does that in Paris?"... He tallied up his expenses (rent, sets, music, artists' fees, costumes, personnel, posters, authors, etc.), totalling 40,800, and still managed to balance his budget without debt or shareholders.... October 31, 1906. On Ibsen. He represents the interests of the Ibsen family in France, and every 3 months he urges Claretie to add Un ennemi du peuple with Féraudy as Stockmann, or Les Revenants with Le Bargy as Oswald, to the Comédie-Française repertoire. But Claretie always replies that he has "too many new plays to do to think about Ibsen before long, at least at present, and for a long time to come". He goes on to talk about Helmer's role in Maison de poupée, and judges that in La Dame de la mer hundreds of small details comment on Maison de poupée. Stockholm [1912?]. He is on tour in Sweden and has left his wife Suzanne Desprès in Paris, who is rehearsing a play by Bataille [Les Flambeaux?] with Berthe Bady. Things went badly, and they wanted to take Suzanne's part away, but she defended herself energetically: "I didn't even know who she was, and I'll show you her letters from day to day in Paris. They are unimaginable in their grandeur and distinguished strength. Her energy, her disdain, her haughty response, even to threats of blows, compel admiration. [...] Alone, we thought she was unarmed, she parried every blow, alone"... Enclosed: - a L.A.S. to Léopold Lacour, [October 1893], about his lecture before Ibsen's Rosmersholm (1p. in-8, letterhead): - a L.S. to Lucien Descaves, October 6, 1921, about favored seats (2p. in-8, letterhead); - 2 L.A.S. from his wife Suzanne Desprès, to Pierre Wolff about his dog's diet (1914), and to Albert Willemetz (3 p. in-8).