[Victor HUGO]. Louis-Eugène Hennet de KESLER (1804–1870), wr - Lot 356

Lot n° 356
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[Victor HUGO]. Louis-Eugène Hennet de KESLER (1804–1870), wr - Lot 356
[Victor HUGO]. Louis-Eugène Hennet de KESLER (1804–1870), writer, fellow exile of V. Hugo. 2 autograph letters and 4 handwritten letters, Guernsey 1867–1869, to the “dear citizen” Félix Hémon; 15 pages in-8 in blue pencil and ink, 2 bearing his monogram and motto Fides impavida. A brief chronicle of life at Hauteville House. This correspondence is addressed to the young poet Félix Hémon (1848–1916), who became a professor and literary critic, and the father of the author of *Maria Chapdelaine*. July 30, 1867. The Master received Hémon’s letter and read it to them “in a very fine voice and with great emphasis”; he wrote to Hémon to congratulate him on his verses. As for Kesler, he is writing a novel “sold to a New York publisher. “I write only in London, Brussels, and America; I need freedom of thought and freedom of the press”… – October 21, 1867, regarding *Ruy Blas*: “We still doubt it will be staged, for it is a tough pill for your government to swallow; fortunately, a ban will serve our cause just as much—and even more—than a permit. […] The Master has been here for eight days; the eagle has returned to its nest”… – November 5, 1868. He forwards a letter from Victor Hugo and places his trust in the youth for the future of France... – November 24, 1868. He feels that there is too much talk about the Baudin affair and asks that someone send him *La Marseillaise* and “the romance *Quand tu chantes le soir bercée entre mes bras* (When You Sing in the Evening, Cradled in My Arms), lyrics by Victor Hugo, music by Gounod”… – March 2, 1869, on the possibility of a newspaper: “It is a mistake to believe that Victor Hugo wants to found a newspaper; on the contrary, he does not wish to be associated with any, directly or indirectly, either financially or editorially. That is not how he understands his political role. *Le Rappel* is a possibility, run by his sons, Vackeray [Vacquerie], Meurice, Rochefort, &c.”... – April 9, 1869. “The work required to earn my meager living as an exile is killing me,” and he no longer has time to write to his friends; he sends “the portrait of the friend we have lost” [Adèle Hugo, who died on November 27, 1868]. Enclosed is a handwritten letter from Paul Meurice, Paris, February 21, 1905 (1 p., in-8), offering to come see him to “provide all the information I can about the excellent Kessler, whom I knew well”…
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