Guillaume APOLLINAIRE Autographed letter signed to LOU

  

Guillaume APOLLINAIRE (1880 - 1918), French poet. "Your Gui", June 7, 1915, to Louise de Coligny-Châtillon, "Lou"; 4 pages in-8. Letter to Lou, written from the Front. Letter written from the front in Champagne, mixing news about his daily life, waiting for the enemy in the trenches, rumors about the fall of the Viviani ministry, and his desperate need for love, which unfortunately gets stuck in a fading love: "My beloved little girl, I hardly know what to write to you today except my love.

Up at 4 am for the inspection, awarding of citations, that's at least what I think it's called. Then there's talk of the fall of the ministry, Joffre would become Minister of War, Galliéni Commander-in-Chief, and Caillaux Prime Minister, and well, even though the latter was the most disliked man in France just a month ago, I've heard the most intelligent types, even officers, say: "Long live Caillaux!

He will bring us peace." I couldn't believe my ears, but also: "Caillaux means peace," still rings in my ears in the engineering shafts where I was this morning 6 meters from the rocks, as well as in the artillery encampments where I am this afternoon. However, I am sure that aside from the Caillaux question, Galliéni would be a great comfort and a step forward.

We are all dressed anew, and well-dressed because the regiment tailors have done their job. And it's time to move, we only ask for that even if we have to be killed. Galliéni inspires unshakable confidence here, and me, who has heard about him, I am somewhat of that opinion. Joffre is fine, let's wait, but we wait, damn it, it's not tactics, or rather it might be tactics but it's not strategy. It's great to make holes and hide in them but what we need is to advance. That's my little rat - I don't know if everything is like that but I have swallowed a lot of snakes and rats." The letter becomes erotic: "I want to kiss you or another, even if she's German, but not a woman from the front, damn it, because of the pox - Anyway, we hope for great events. I'm sending you a sketch of a part of a cemetery nearby.

You don't know where it is, but too bad for my little Lou, it's not true that I'm jealous as you say. But of course, I prefer only myself and I don't have the right to talk about that. But if I knew, which I don't want to say, in reality I might still love you but wouldn't be friends with you anymore - There, my little Lou, a bit flustered and about to leave - I won't write any longer because you don't write long either and it disgusts me a bit to write to someone who never writes me long letters although I adore you and kiss you very very affectionately Your Gui.

" References: Correspondance générale, Edition by V. Martin-Schmets, Champion, II, n° 971, p. Campa, Guillaume Apollinaire, Gallimard, p.

On September 27, 1914, Guillaume Apollinaire met Louise de Coligny-Chatillon in a restaurant in Nice. It was love at first sight.

He wrote to her the day after they met: "Having told you this morning that I love you, my neighbor from last night, I now feel less awkward writing it to you (... At the time, the 33-year-old divorced young woman was very independent, which fascinated the poet. Unfortunately, it was a thwarted love, she got engaged and then withdrew, not hiding her attachment to another man.

At wit's end, Apollinaire went to do military training in Nîmes. She joined him for a week.

From this passionate love, some of the most beautiful poems in the French language were born. In 1915, he asked her to keep the poems he sent her, for a possible publication. Apollinaire joined the 38th Champagne Regiment on April 4, 1915. The day before, she put an end to their romantic relationship but promised to remain friends. On the front, Apollinaire still hoped to win her back, writing her hundreds of letters more passionate and erotic than the last, but these letters became less frequent and shorter, until January 16, 1916, the date of the last letter.

They met one last time, by chance, at Opéra square in Paris. Apollinaire died on November 9, 1918, at the age of 38, from the Spanish flu. This prodigious correspondence totals 220 letters and 76 poems. Some of these poems were later included and reworked in the collection Calligrammes.

Poèmes à Lou, originally titled Ombre de mon amour, is a posthumous collection of poems.