PRÉVERT, Jacques.

£2,750 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

Paroles. First edition, first printing, one of 324 copies on rives paper, Jacques Brunius's copy of one of Prévert's best known collection of poems. They were first published separately in various magazines from around 1930, and were, partially and amateurishly, collected by students from Rheims at the end of the war. The poems were officially gathered in 1945 and published on 10 May 1946 in this edition. Loosely inserted are two undated letters: one from Jacques Prévert (1900-1977), one of the biggest names of 20th-century French poetry whose poems like "Le cancre" and "Page d'écriture" (both included here) are still given to French pupils to learn off by heart and recite in front of the class. In his letter, the author instructs an unnamed recipient to give him a call at the "Hotel Régent" where he was staying briefly, and to ask for "mister Prévert chambre 901".The other letter, addressed to film director Jacques Brunius (1906-1967), is from the author's brother, Pierre Prévert (1906-1988), also a film director, notably known for L'Affaire est dans le sac and the documentary Mon frère Jacques (1961), in which Brunius features. In this colourful letter, Pierre thanks Brunius for the English book on French and international cinema, admitting that the text is "incomprehensible" to him, "but very good, without a doubt". He also mentions, in connection to a play, Pierre Brasseur (1905-1972), French actor and friend of the Prévert brothers, who also starred in Mon frère Jacques.

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