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Marcel Proust to Madame Catusse [first days of February 1915]

(Click on the link above to see this letter and its notes in the Corr-Proust digital edition, including all relevant hyperlinks.)

^[1]

Dear Madam

My doctor has just lost his wife in dreadful circumstances^[2]. Also as you told me you no longer need information on Doctor M.^[3], only out of retrospective curiosity, if you do not tell me otherwise, I will wait a little to write to him. But I did write to Robert on this subject a few days ago^[4]. I hope that he will respond, even if he is terribly busy at the moment. And, apparently, he is no longer at the Salvange clinic^[5] where I addressed the letter. But I hope it will be passed on to him.

I thank you very much for Nice, but alas I ceased to be “invitable” a long time ago. My ceaseless fumigations, etc. do not allow me to stay with friends, or at least their discomfort, in turn, would be a form of torture for me. Two years ago the Clermont-Tonnerres had “neutralised” a whole part of Glisolles so that I could be “at home”^[6] there, and I could not make up my mind about it. What would be more feasible, would be for you to stay in Nice^[7] and should I not be conscripted, I rent something there. If the climate favours me, maybe I would have the good fortune to be a little less sequestered away than I am now in Paris, and then I could benefit from being in the same town as you. Otherwise, this would be of no use to me because it would be as in Paris. Besides, it seems to me that because of my hay fever, it is already a little late to go to Nice. If I went there, it would be with the secret hope to be able to live there exclusively for at least a year. But I think it would be better to make an attempt towards September when I would have a while to acclimatise before Spring.

If you can write me news of Charles, you would make me very happy. I would also like to know what you think of the war. I’ve been hearing talk of three years. Is that truly possible? I swear that Charles is one of the reasons, but not the only one, why such a long war would terrify me. At least, he has the good sense not to go back. And really, do you not find, does he not find that it would be impossible for him to go back? When I read the other day the fate of these unfortunate alpine soldiers on The Hartmannswillerkopf^[8], I had a terrible sinking feeling when imagining that Charles could have been there, and I was thankful for the little complications of his injury.

Your respectful friend

Marcel Proust

Gautier-Vignal is rather, how can I put it, more my book’s friend than mine. You would misunderstand me completely if you believed that I am intending to renounce in any way a creature who seems so utterly sensitive, sympathetic, and who was so kind (and is remarkably intelligent). But what I mean is that I have only known him for a short time and not very well^[9]. This does not prevent us from having affection for one another, I hold him to be the most diligent and understanding reader and he has, on many occasions, obliged and charmed me. He, too, is quite unwell.

^[10] ^[11]

Notes

↑ The mention of Madame Bize's death places this letter after September 1914 (see note 2) and the fears about the pollen at Nice before the start of spring 1915. The allusion to the "the fate of these unfortunate alpine soldiers on the Hartmannswillerkopf" which Proust had read the account of "the other day" (see note 8) seems to place it more precisely around the first days of February 1915. [PK, FL]
↑ This concerns Dr Bize's wife, died 17 December 1914, about whom Proust said in a letter to Reynaldo Hahn [shortly after 24 October 1914] (CP 02831; Kolb, XIII, no. 180) that she appeared to be very ill. We have been unable to identify the "dreadful circumstances" to which Proust is alluding here. [PK, FL]
↑ In a letter to Proust (which has not been found) probably dating from the second half of October 1914, Mme Catusse had asked him for some "tips" about a doctor whose name Proust had been unable to read with any certainty (Meslier?), as he indicated in his reply (see CP 02845; Kolb, XIII, no. 194). In the letter (also not found) to which Proust is replying here, Mme Catusse must have given him the name more legibly, otherwise Proust could not have considered asking Dr Bize for advice later. As the subject does not come up again in their letters to each other we do not know which doctor this concerns. Perhaps Mme Catusse was seeking information about a doctor from the military hospital at Montluçon where her son Charles had been treated in October 1914? - On the subject of the treatment received by Charles Catusse at Montluçon, see the letter to Mme Catusse of [17 October 1914] (CP 02827; Kolb, XIII, no. 176). [FL]
↑ Letter has not been found. [PK]
↑ Salvange château, situated near Rarécourt (in the Meuse department) twenty five kilometres South West of Verdun, in Argonne, was the location of field hospital no. 5/55 from 10 December 1914 to 26 June 1916 (see the website Histoire des hôpitaux militaires et du service de santé durant les deux guerres mondiales, section "Ambulances 1914-1918", under letter R). Robert Proust's entry in the register of military enrollments does not show with any precision his various postings between winter 1914-15 and 11 May 1915, the date on which he took command of the first mobile surgical field hospital, in the Arras region. Mention of his posting as "temporary surgeon with field hospital 4/55" from November 1914 does not name any precise location; the present letter from Proust to Mme Catusse suggests that he did not stay at the Salvange military hospital until May 1915. (Besides, hospital number 4/55 quoted on his military record does not correspond to Salvange hospital, number 5/55: perhaps he only stayed there a short time). [PK, FL]
↑ We do not know anything about the letters that Proust would have exchanged with the Duc and Duchesse de Clermont-Tonnerre on this subject. - At Glisolles (a village situated 13 kilometres from Évreux), they possessed an enormous château (built in the XVIIIth century) and a small modern cottage. Proust made a brief visit there on his return from Cabourg, in 1907 (see his letter of thanks of [beginning of October 1907]: CP 01707; Kolb, VII, no. 154, in which the "light Nowegian wainscotting" probably refers to the cottage, whereas the "old French canvases" evoke a visit to the château). The expression "a whole part of Glisolles" must indicate a wing or a floor of the château, which would have been put at Proust's disposal. [PK, FL]
↑ Le Figaro, 31 December 1914, p. 4, under its column "Déplacements et Villégiatures" [Travels and Vacations] indicated Mme Catusse's arrival in Nice. [PK]
↑ Here, Proust seems to allude to an article which appeared in Le Figaro on 31 January, 1915, p.3, under the title of “The Affair of Hartmannswillerkopf”. It reads: “This is nothing but an episode of war; but it is a magnificent episode. At the summit of Hartmannswillerkopf, we had a large reconnaissance team which was violently attacked by heavy forces on 19 January. We had wanted to disengage. It was a difficult situation. The slopes in this part of the Vosges are a mess of rocks. [...] It was snowing. You could not see further than 10 metres because of the mist. Because the objective was to save our comrades, our officers and our troops did not hesitate [...]” Following this report of their gruelling ascent, hope of saving their comrades dwindled but their ambition to reclaim the summit remained intact. — The battles to reclaim the summit of Hartmannswillerkopf lasted from January to June 1915, and the fighting over positions that resulted from it (each army occupying one part of the heights) continued until 1918. [PK]
↑ It was Lucien Daudet who introduced Louis Gautier-Vignal to Proust in June 1914. In his letter of [7 September 1914], Proust asked Mme Catusse if she knew this young man who was also resident in Nice (see CP 02823; Kolb, XIII, no. 172). Mme Catusse must have made enquiries about him, and in her reply (not found) showed a low regard for the family whose notability was only very recent. Originally from Nice, Albert Gautier (aka Gautier-Vignal), the father of the young man, had been made a Comte by Pope Léon XIII in 1895, and was consul general for Romania at Nice. He was most notably president or vice-president of several Nice sporting societies. Louis Gautier-Vignal himself had been a pupil of Roland Garros. In response to the information provided by Mme Catusse (in a letter which has not come down to us), Proust had no doubt admitted that he neither knew nor kept company with this family, a source of misunderstanding that he is attempting to clear up here. [PK, FL]
↑ Translation notes: Proust used to inhale Legras anti-asthma powders on a daily basis and which he always referred to as his "fumigations". See Monsieur Proust, Céleste Albaret, p. 62-63 for a full description. (Yorktaylors) I was unable to find the website mentioned in note 5. (Yorktaylors)
↑ Contributors: hhamiltongru, Maddyhill, Bward, Gbyrne, Rohana, SZong, Yorktaylors.

[n1-1] The mention of Madame Bize's death places this letter after September 1914 (see note 2) and the fears about the pollen at Nice before the start of spring 1915. The allusion to the "the fate of these unfortunate alpine soldiers on the Hartmannswillerkopf" which Proust had read the account of "the other day" (see note 8) seems to place it more precisely around the first days of February 1915. [PK, FL]

[n2-2] This concerns Dr Bize's wife, died 17 December 1914, about whom Proust said in a letter to Reynaldo Hahn [shortly after 24 October 1914] (CP 02831; Kolb, XIII, no. 180) that she appeared to be very ill. We have been unable to identify the "dreadful circumstances" to which Proust is alluding here. [PK, FL]

[n3-3] In a letter to Proust (which has not been found) probably dating from the second half of October 1914, Mme Catusse had asked him for some "tips" about a doctor whose name Proust had been unable to read with any certainty (Meslier?), as he indicated in his reply (see CP 02845; Kolb, XIII, no. 194). In the letter (also not found) to which Proust is replying here, Mme Catusse must have given him the name more legibly, otherwise Proust could not have considered asking Dr Bize for advice later. As the subject does not come up again in their letters to each other we do not know which doctor this concerns. Perhaps Mme Catusse was seeking information about a doctor from the military hospital at Montluçon where her son Charles had been treated in October 1914? - On the subject of the treatment received by Charles Catusse at Montluçon, see the letter to Mme Catusse of [17 October 1914] (CP 02827; Kolb, XIII, no. 176). [FL]

[n4-4] Letter has not been found. [PK]

[n5-5] Salvange château, situated near Rarécourt (in the Meuse department) twenty five kilometres South West of Verdun, in Argonne, was the location of field hospital no. 5/55 from 10 December 1914 to 26 June 1916 (see the website Histoire des hôpitaux militaires et du service de santé durant les deux guerres mondiales, section "Ambulances 1914-1918", under letter R). Robert Proust's entry in the register of military enrollments does not show with any precision his various postings between winter 1914-15 and 11 May 1915, the date on which he took command of the first mobile surgical field hospital, in the Arras region. Mention of his posting as "temporary surgeon with field hospital 4/55" from November 1914 does not name any precise location; the present letter from Proust to Mme Catusse suggests that he did not stay at the Salvange military hospital until May 1915. (Besides, hospital number 4/55 quoted on his military record does not correspond to Salvange hospital, number 5/55: perhaps he only stayed there a short time). [PK, FL]

[n6-6] We do not know anything about the letters that Proust would have exchanged with the Duc and Duchesse de Clermont-Tonnerre on this subject. - At Glisolles (a village situated 13 kilometres from Évreux), they possessed an enormous château (built in the XVIIIth century) and a small modern cottage. Proust made a brief visit there on his return from Cabourg, in 1907 (see his letter of thanks of [beginning of October 1907]: CP 01707; Kolb, VII, no. 154, in which the "light Nowegian wainscotting" probably refers to the cottage, whereas the "old French canvases" evoke a visit to the château). The expression "a whole part of Glisolles" must indicate a wing or a floor of the château, which would have been put at Proust's disposal. [PK, FL]

[n7-7] Le Figaro, 31 December 1914, p. 4, under its column "Déplacements et Villégiatures" [Travels and Vacations] indicated Mme Catusse's arrival in Nice. [PK]

[n8-8] Here, Proust seems to allude to an article which appeared in Le Figaro on 31 January, 1915, p.3, under the title of “The Affair of Hartmannswillerkopf”. It reads: “This is nothing but an episode of war; but it is a magnificent episode. At the summit of Hartmannswillerkopf, we had a large reconnaissance team which was violently attacked by heavy forces on 19 January. We had wanted to disengage. It was a difficult situation. The slopes in this part of the Vosges are a mess of rocks. [...] It was snowing. You could not see further than 10 metres because of the mist. Because the objective was to save our comrades, our officers and our troops did not hesitate [...]” Following this report of their gruelling ascent, hope of saving their comrades dwindled but their ambition to reclaim the summit remained intact. — The battles to reclaim the summit of Hartmannswillerkopf lasted from January to June 1915, and the fighting over positions that resulted from it (each army occupying one part of the heights) continued until 1918. [PK]

[n9-9] It was Lucien Daudet who introduced Louis Gautier-Vignal to Proust in June 1914. In his letter of [7 September 1914], Proust asked Mme Catusse if she knew this young man who was also resident in Nice (see CP 02823; Kolb, XIII, no. 172). Mme Catusse must have made enquiries about him, and in her reply (not found) showed a low regard for the family whose notability was only very recent. Originally from Nice, Albert Gautier (aka Gautier-Vignal), the father of the young man, had been made a Comte by Pope Léon XIII in 1895, and was consul general for Romania at Nice. He was most notably president or vice-president of several Nice sporting societies. Louis Gautier-Vignal himself had been a pupil of Roland Garros. In response to the information provided by Mme Catusse (in a letter which has not come down to us), Proust had no doubt admitted that he neither knew nor kept company with this family, a source of misunderstanding that he is attempting to clear up here. [PK, FL]

[n10-10] Translation notes: Proust used to inhale Legras anti-asthma powders on a daily basis and which he always referred to as his "fumigations". See Monsieur Proust, Céleste Albaret, p. 62-63 for a full description. (Yorktaylors) I was unable to find the website mentioned in note 5. (Yorktaylors)

[n11-11] Contributors: hhamiltongru, Maddyhill, Bward, Gbyrne, Rohana, SZong, Yorktaylors.

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CP 02906/en

Marcel Proust to Madame Catusse [first days of February 1915]

Notes

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