QUENEAU RAYMOND (1903-1976) - Lot 101

Lot 101
Go to lot
Estimation :
15000 - 20000 EUR
QUENEAU RAYMOND (1903-1976) - Lot 101
QUENEAU RAYMOND (1903-1976) AUTOGRAPHIC MANUSCRIPT and corrected typescript, Les Temps mêlés, [1939-1941]; 188 pages mostly in-4 or small in-4, and 133 pages in-4. Set of preparatory notes and manuscripts and the corrected typescript of this seventh novel by Queneau, a sequel to Gueule de pierre. As early as August 1938, Queneau thought of writing a sequel to his novel Gueule de pierre (1934), first in the form of a poem in 24 songs, which he worked on until October 1938 in Coye-la-Forêt (Oise). He started working again in June-July 1939, but the war interrupted him; he resumed writing the book in January 1941, and finished it on July 3. Les Temps mêlés will be published by Gallimard in November 1941, with the subtitle (Gueule de pierre, II). The two novels will be integrated with a sequel in Saint Glinglin in 1948, Les Temps mêlés being strongly reworked. Pierre Kougard became mayor of the City of his birth; in front of the town hall, stands the petrified body of his father. During the Saint-Glinlin celebrations, tourists arrive, including the film star Cécile Haye, with whom Paul (Pierre's brother) will fall in love. Pierre wants to introduce reforms, and he stops the inventor Timothée Worwass's cloud chaser, which kept the city's sky clear. The torrential rain causes the statue to dissolve and collapse. The disgruntled population drives Peter out, and his brother Paul succeeds him. The novel is divided into three parts: the first is a series of poems evoking various inhabitants of the city; the second, a monologue by Paul; the third, a play in five acts or tableaux. The manuscript consists of: A. First part (in verse): detached sheets (lined or large-ruled paper) in 2 school notebooks (22 x 17 cm) of the Comptoirs français; the 1st one with a green cover, marked "GDP II (pas net)" (28 pages); the 2nd one with a pink cover, marked "GDP II (net)" (23 pages) in black ink, plus 5 in-4 sheets and one typed. B. Parts Two and Three (prose and drama). 14 in-4 typed and corrected pages, followed by 62 autograph pages in black ink. C. A set of 36 in-4 pages in black ink, a primitive version of the third part written in novelistic style. D. " Dialogue de Jean et d'Hélène," 9 in-4 pages on green paper accompanied by 15 typewritten sheets. E. Set of notes, plans, various drafts: 9 pages in-4 in black ink and pencil on gray paper, and 16 pages of various sizes (in-8 or in-12). F. 6 typewritten sheets paginated 1-6 (text on "medians"). G. Complete typescript (133 ff. in-4), used for the composition of the edition. It seems to have been written directly on the typewriter by Queneau himself, from various handwritten drafts. It presents erasures and numerous corrections, with passages crossed out. It is dated at the end (the indication has been crossed out for typography): "Neuilly, July 3, 1941; noon 25 (on my watch, go forward a little). H. Typescript of the poems La Vieille and Le Fantôme (4 ff. in-4), and proof sheet of the journal Mesures (not published, the journal having disappeared after April 1940). The file of notes and plans is very interesting. One finds there in particular a chronology, a table of the characters, topographical indications, etc. The preparatory notes also show the hesitations of the novelist during the elaboration of his book. Thus: "Paul convinced of incest. Will he resign or will he leave? Hesitations"; and Queneau adds, not without irony: "Cornelian. Racinian. Eschylian (at least)". One also finds on these sheets games on the language like this variation from the word insect: "In-Secte. Insectuality. In-sexuality. Intellectuality. In-Secte: one who does not belong to any sect. In-Sexuality: no sexuality. In-Texuality: no written text (intellectuality). Such is that you have lite ". Of the twelve poems of the first part, eleven are present in the notebooks, and in versions offering very numerous and important variants. The first poem, Le Veilleur, of which one has in the notes a plan-graphique, appears here in a primitive version entitled The Twelve Skittles of the night, very different: "The tans reversed the twelve skittles of the nui More a mintenan; that the zero remains In the orères of the railroads Until the correspondence with the number pi"... The second part is entitled The North Star. Queneau started typing his text directly (on the first 14 sheets); what will become a monologue is then a "Letter from Paul Kougard to the beautiful lady". The 14 typed sheets are corrected in ink; then Queneau will continue by hand from page 15. The third part is presented in the form of five acts or tables (a part of the 4th and the 5th are missing in this manuscript), of which we have a primitive version in manuscript under
My orders
Sale information
Sales conditions
Return to catalogue