[VERLAINE] VERLAINE, Jeanne (18–/18–)

Autograph letter signed “J. Verlaine” to a gentleman (probably Edmond Lepelletier)
Rue Montholon [Paris], circa 1889, 2 pp. in-8

“I would assure you that, when he came to the Broussais hospital to visit Mr. Verlaine, he asked me for a way to sue his publisher Vanier against whom he was extremely irritated.”

EUR 300,-
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[VERLAINE] VERLAINE, Jeanne (18–/18–)

Autograph letter signed “J. Verlaine” to a gentleman (probably Edmond Lepelletier)
Rue Montholon [Paris], circa 1889, 2 pp. in-8
Tiny missing bit on lower left margin without affecting the text

Letter from the enigmatic Jeanne who claimed to be related to Verlaine, about the famous conflict between verlaine and Vanier


« Monsieur
Si une affirmation de plus peut être utile, je me permets de vous assurer que, venue à l’hôpital Broussais visiter Monsieur Verlaine, il m’a demandé le moyen de poursuivre son éditeur Vanier contre lequel il était extrêmement irrité, c’était sa pensée dominante, il m’en parlait avec grand écœurement, quand un de vous est entré, je me suis retirée par discrétion me réservant de vous en expliquer plus amplement à sa sortie, qui devait être prochaine.
Mais un incident qui nous a refroidis mutuellement m’en a empêché.
Recevrez Monsieur mes salutations.
J. Verlaine »


This person in question is a lady who claimed to be a relative of the poet, whom she met in Broussais hostpital in 1889, when she herself was hospitalized (the episode mentioned in the letter is that of Verlaine’s scramble with Vanier, following an insert attached to Parallel without the poet’s knowledge). Verlaine was in Broussais from July 8 to August 18, 1889, and the letter should be dated accordingly. Verlaine mentions this person a few times in his correspondence of August-September 1889, calling her sometimes “Mrs. J. V.”, or “Mrs. my namesake” (letter to Cazals of August 26, 1889).
According to Georges Zayed, she is the dedicatee of a poem issued from Dédicaces (2nd ed., 1894), “To Mrs. J…”, a second version of which is entitled “To Mrs. Jeanne“, which at the same time gives the key to the “J“.

We would like to thank Olivier Bivort for his help in completing this description