Auction 52 - Jewish and Israeli History and Culture
Émile Zola - Handwritten Letter from his Period of Hiding in London during the Dreyfus Affair - London, 1898
Opening: $1,500
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Émile Zola, letter in his handwriting, apparently to his friend Ernest Alfred Vizetelly. Signed: "Z". The letter was written during Zola's stay in London, where he escaped after being sentenced to imprisonment following the publication of his essay "J'Accuse…!" in defense of Alfred Dreyfus. [London], September 11, 1898. French.
The letter concerns Zola's living accommodations in London. "I've received a letter from Charpentier [apparently the French publisher Georges Charpentier, Zola's friend] who will arrive in London Thursday evening. He will set a meeting for you in London, at a hotel, on Friday… let me know if you've received the letter. I feel I won't see you before Friday and it will be too late then to arrange to renewal of the rent contract. I have definitely decided to stay here another 15 days. Tell Wareham immediately to do what is needed to rent the house until October 10. On Friday I will provide the payment funds". Beneath his signature he adds: "You daughter Violette [apparently Violette Vizetelly] asks that you call her through the post office as soon as possible…".
The French writer and publicist Émile Zola (1840-1902) was a prominent supporter of Alfred Dreyfus when the latter was accused, in 1895, of treason and espionage for Germany. In 1897 he published a series of articles in support of Dreyfus; in January 1898 he published the essay "J'Accuse" in the newspaper "L'Aurore". This was an open letter to the president of France, in which he accused the heads of the military, the War Office and the military court of a travesty of justice. The letter's publication resonated throughout France. Zola was accused of libel, sentenced to a year's imprisonment and forced to flee to England. Zola stayed in London for about a year, assisted in finding living quarters by Ernest Alfred Vizetelly (1853-1922, a journalist and writer who translated Zola's works) and his solicitor Frederick Wareham. In London he lived in hiding, under false identities (this is why he did not sign his full name to the present letter), until learning of Dreyfus's retrial. In June 1899 he returned to Paris.
[1] leaf, folded in half (two written pages), 18 cm. Good condition. Horizontal folding line.
The letter concerns Zola's living accommodations in London. "I've received a letter from Charpentier [apparently the French publisher Georges Charpentier, Zola's friend] who will arrive in London Thursday evening. He will set a meeting for you in London, at a hotel, on Friday… let me know if you've received the letter. I feel I won't see you before Friday and it will be too late then to arrange to renewal of the rent contract. I have definitely decided to stay here another 15 days. Tell Wareham immediately to do what is needed to rent the house until October 10. On Friday I will provide the payment funds". Beneath his signature he adds: "You daughter Violette [apparently Violette Vizetelly] asks that you call her through the post office as soon as possible…".
The French writer and publicist Émile Zola (1840-1902) was a prominent supporter of Alfred Dreyfus when the latter was accused, in 1895, of treason and espionage for Germany. In 1897 he published a series of articles in support of Dreyfus; in January 1898 he published the essay "J'Accuse" in the newspaper "L'Aurore". This was an open letter to the president of France, in which he accused the heads of the military, the War Office and the military court of a travesty of justice. The letter's publication resonated throughout France. Zola was accused of libel, sentenced to a year's imprisonment and forced to flee to England. Zola stayed in London for about a year, assisted in finding living quarters by Ernest Alfred Vizetelly (1853-1922, a journalist and writer who translated Zola's works) and his solicitor Frederick Wareham. In London he lived in hiding, under false identities (this is why he did not sign his full name to the present letter), until learning of Dreyfus's retrial. In June 1899 he returned to Paris.
[1] leaf, folded in half (two written pages), 18 cm. Good condition. Horizontal folding line.
Autographs, Hebrew Literature, Manuscripts and Archives, Research and Bibliography Books
Autographs, Hebrew Literature, Manuscripts and Archives, Research and Bibliography Books