Raymond ABELLIO (1907-1986). 30 L.A.S., 1948-1965, to Yvonne - Lot 121

Raymond ABELLIO (1907-1986). 30 L.A.S., 1948-1965, to Yvonne JUILLET; 48 pages in-8 or in-4 (including 3 dactyl. with autogr. additions, one incomplete from beginning). Important friendly, literary, philosophical and artistic correspondence. Yvonne JUILLET was a painter, and a pupil of the painter Léon Detroy; she was Albert Thibaudet's niece, and a friend of Jean Paulhan. Most of this correspondence dates from 1949 to 1951, when Abellio was in exile in Switzerland. The letters are often signed with the initials "R.A." or his real first name "Georges" (R. Abellio being the pseudonym of Georges Soulès). He encourages Yvonne to paint. He talks about his life in exile, his precarious health, his books and work on the Bible, his readings, his efforts to return to France, and so on. Both share an interest in esoteric research. We can only give a brief overview of these often lengthy letters. October 9 and 11, 1948, information and useful addresses for Yvonne Juillet's artistic activity; he recommends her to a textile manufacturer... 24.XII.1948. "I work hard, pushing as hard as I can in my spare time. I'd like to have my work on the Bible out before 3 months (the manuscript, that is, because publishing deadlines, alas!...) Les Yeux d'E. [Les Yeux d'Ézéchiel are open] are in press. [March 7, 1949, about Georges Hilaire's book Les Lauriers inutiles, "on aesthetics, or rather on 'a policy of the fine arts'. [...] It's a sort of complete and reasonable overview of what France should be doing at the moment". Paulhan reads the manuscript... October 15, 1949. The publication of Ézéchiel is delayed... "I sent Paulhan a paper on Lucifer. I hope he will publish it in the Cahiers de la Pléiade. [...] It's a kind of manifesto, which may not please many people, including him, Paulhan. [...] You have to give yourself some space and get rid of all the heterogeneous paperwork cluttering up the table. It's not good to have too many projects. [...] I met a 17-year-old girl here who's starting out in your job: so far, she's spontaneously done abstract painting. I hear Coco Chanel has given her some sensational tips. Would you like (if you haven't already) an introduction to the aforementioned Chanel? Her best friend lives here and will give me that for you [...] I'm not homesick, but I'd like a bath in Parisian electricity, without Parisians. [...] I haven't read anything interesting for three months, except Merleau-Ponty, which I'll pick up again in a while"... July 3, 1950. "I'm at the point where everything in me is organized around the problem of women, because it's undoubtedly the most important [...] the most exacting demands, touching here, as everywhere, on the greatest fidelity, can only be made by firmly deciding to accept nothing but the Absolute. [...] I'm working on the Pit of Babel. It will take a long time"... May 30, 1951. "Heavy solitude, yes. But heavy cohabitation too. We are already nomads. We are the new Israelites, and we'll see when our temples are destroyed, from Point du Jour to Charenton"... June 27. "I read books on metaphysics. [...] Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Jaspers etc. before returning to SPINOZA, who will once again become a great man, the only profound moralist in the West. [...] Over the last 3 months, I've had a disappointing experience with Buddhism. No, it's not for me. Even the Zen I think I understand (intellectually) doesn't grab me body and soul"... Etc.