Albert Mockel Very Interesting Signed Autograph Letter. 1899 Symbolism

  
Autograph letter signed, Belgian Symbolism, Poetry. [Signed handwritten letter to a critic about his use of French and free verse]. I was born in Belgium, and there I was the first, and for quite a long time the only one, to defend the theories of free verse.

Allow me to point out to you that in Liège and throughout Walloon country, French is the mother tongue just as it is in Bordeaux. You are confusing us, sir, with the Flemings, whose poets we admire without considering them our compatriots.

It is painful for us to find ourselves disowned by France after so many common struggles and after more than six centuries of strictly French literature. It is also painful that our elders and our masters do not allow us to honor them as we should, and that they encourage us, in spite of old statements and in spite of our reluctance, to begin again a battle that was hoped to be over. Is this really how, sir, we must understand what you have written? Please accept, with the expression of my saddened astonishment, the tribute of an admiration that knows how to choose. 30 handwritten lines and autograph signature on a wove paper sheet with watermark, recto-verso, 140 x 180 mm (unfolded), envelope missing.

Condition (our photos are an integral part of the description and complete it): folds, foxing, and minor signs of use. Fast and careful worldwide shipping.