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=[http://www.corr-proust.org/letter/05633 Marcel Proust à Gaston Gallimard <nowiki>[seconde quinzaine ? de décembre 1916]</nowiki>]=
=[http://www.corr-proust.org/letter/05633 Marcel Proust to Gaston Gallimard <nowiki>[second half? of December 1916]</nowiki>]=
<small>(Click on the link above to see this letter and its notes in the ''Corr-Proust'' digital edition, including all relevant hyperlinks.)</small>
<small>(Click on the link above to see this letter and its notes in the ''Corr-Proust'' digital edition, including all relevant hyperlinks.)</small>


<ref name="n1" />
<ref name="n1" />


Cher ami,
Dear friend,


Je suis navré, et je suis bien maladroit. Tout mon désir était que vous oubliez pendant quelque temps que j’avais fait un livre. Tellement que ce livre, je disais il y a quelques jours à Copeau<ref name="n2" />, que si cela devait vous décharger d’une fatigue et d’un souci, je le rendrais à Grasset. Et voilà que j’ai si mal su vous donner cette impression, que vous vous êtes fatigué à m’écrire<ref name="n3" />. Cher ami ne pensez pas à moi, du moins ne soyez pas éditeur pour y penser. Tout sera comme vous voudrez, quand vous voudrez, je ne dis pas où vous voudrez, puisque Copeau m’a dit que ce que vous vouliez c’était que le livre restât à la N.R.F. Et donc je le laisserai définitivement chez vous. Et naturellement, puisque c’était déjà antérieurement convenu, je ne l’aurais retiré que si vous l’aviez souhaité. Inutile de vous dire que la demande que j’ai faite l’autre jour de mes épreuves ne se rattache en rien à cela. Je les avais demandées pour diverses raisons dont voici les deux principales. Je pensais que tant qu’elles dormaient, le comptage de lettres<ref name="n4" /> ne pouvant durer très longtemps, je pouvais y corriger quelques petites choses qui nous avanceraient d’autant. Je pensais d’autre part qu’éditeur trop scrupuleux vous continuiez en vous soignant à penser à vos auteurs. Or je me disais, pendant que j’aurai les épreuves chez moi, il n’aura pas à prendre souci d’un travail qui, par mon fait, ne peut matériellement être accompli, et cela lui donnera d’autant plus de liberté d’esprit et d’insouci.
I am so sorry, I have been very clumsy. My only wish had been that you forget for a while that I had written a book. So much so that, as I told Copeau<ref name="n2" /> a few days ago, if it could relieve you from fatigue and worry, I would take the book back to Grasset. And because I made such a bad job of making you realize all this you have tired yourself by writing to me<ref name="n3" />. Dear friend, don’t think about me, and furthermore don’t think about it in terms of its publisher. Everything will be the way you want, when you want, I don’t say where you want because Copeau told me that what you want is that the book stays with the N.R.F. If that is the case I will definitely leave it with you. And of course since it was already agreed previously I would only have taken it back if that was what you wanted. It goes without saying that the requests I made the other day for my proofs had nothing to do with all this. I asked for them for several reasons of which these are the two principal ones. I thought that as long as they were doing nothing, the counting up of words<ref name="n4" /> not taking too long, I could correct a few little things which would speed things up a bit. On the other hand I thought that as an over scrupulous publisher you were still worrying about the care of your authors. So I told myself that while I have the proofs here with me there would be no need for you to worry about a task that, for my part, to all intents and purposes can’t be accomplished, and that might put your mind at rest and free you from worry


J’ai mal raisonné. Je vous renverrai donc les épreuves bientôt. Je dis bientôt au lieu de dire demain, parce que je ne les ai pas encore regardées, et que puisque Mme Lemarié a tant fait que de prendre cette gentille peine de me les apporter<ref name="n5" />, il vaut mieux que j’en profite pour au moins deux ou trois changements peu importants. Soignez-vous bien mon cher Gaston. J’espère que mon livre qui est sans l’ombre d’impatience quoique sans l’ombre d’orgueil (ce n’est pas « patiens quia æternus »<ref name="n6" /> !), vous sera quand vous serez guéri une distraction pas trop fatigante. Il est plus « roman » que ce que vous en connaissez, et par là même sera peut-être je ne dis pas plus « public » mais plus en accord avec le goût que le public particulier sur lequel il pouvait espérer compter, manifeste, semble-t-il. Cher ami, je ne veux pas vous fatiguer. Remerciez bien pour moi madame Lemarié. Je suis confus et respectueusement reconnaissant du dérangement qu’elle a pris pour moi.
I misunderstood. So I will send you back the proofs shortly. I say shortly rather than tomorrow, because I still haven’t looked at them, and since Mme Lemarié has kindly taken such pains to bring me them<ref name="n5" />, it would be best if I make the most of things by at least making two or three changes even though they are of little importance. Take good care of yourself dear Gaston. I hope that my book which is without any shadow of impatience though without any shadow of pride (it isn’t “patiens quia aeternus!”<ref name="n6" />), will not be a too tiring distraction for you when you are recovered. It is more of a “novel” than the one you know already, and because of that it might perhaps be, I don’t say more “accessible” but more in accord with the tastes manifested by the particular public it hopes to reach, it seems to me. Dear friend, I don’t want to tire you. Please thank Madame Lemarié for me. I am embarrassed and respectfully grateful for the trouble she has taken for me.


Reposez-vous bien cher ami, bien cher ami, soignez-vous, guérissez-vous, je pense à vous constamment avec la plus vive amitié.
Get plenty of rest my dear friend, my very dear friend, take good care of yourself, get yourself better, I think about you constantly with the strongest feelings of friendship.


Marcel Proust
Marcel Proust
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<references>
<references>


<ref name="n1"> Note 1 </ref>
<ref name="n1"> From December 1916 to February 1917, Gaston Gallimard was suffering from depression, withdrew from the NRF's business affairs, stayed in a sanatorium around the second fortnight in December, and during this period entrusted the day to day business to Madame Lemarié. Proust, no doubt made aware of his absence through Jacques Copeau, had briefly suggested a return to Grasset, and wanted to make use of this period of inactivity to get his manuscript back and make a few corrections to it. When Gallimard was informed about this he became alarmed and repeated his intention to publish La Recherche and asked for the return of the manuscript. Following Gallimard's response (which has not been found), Proust replied back to him proposing to sign a binding contract (CP 04455; Kolb, XIX, no. 418, dated 1917 by Kolb). Madame Lemarié then drafted a reply (CP 04452; Kolb, XIX, no. 415) in which she hoped that 1917 would bring peace, which allows us to date the present letter in the second half of December 1916. [CSz] </ref>


<ref name="n2"> Note 2 </ref>
<ref name="n2"> The letter has not been found and the conversation has not been recorded. [CSz, FP] </ref>


<ref name="n3"> Note 3 </ref>
<ref name="n3"> The letter has not been found. [CSz] </ref>


<ref name="n4"> Note 4 </ref>
<ref name="n4"> See Gallimard's letter to Proust of 9 November [19]16 (CP 05449; MP-GG, no. 32). [CSz] </ref>


<ref name="n5"> Note 5 </ref>
<ref name="n5"> Proust thanks Madame Lemarié for having taken this trouble in a letter of the [first half of January 1917] (CP 04451; Kolb, XIX, no. 414). [CS, FP] </ref>


<ref name="n6"> Note 6 </ref>
<ref name="n6"> Deus autem patiens est, quia æternus est, et novit diem iudicii sui, ubi omnia examinat [But God is long-suffering, because He is eternal, and He knoweth the day of His own judgement, where He weigheth all things.] Saint Augustine, Enarrationes in Psalmos, psalm 91, par. 7. [CS] </ref>


<ref name="n7"> Translation notes: </ref>
<ref name="n7"> Translation notes: </ref>


<ref name="n8"> Contributors: </ref>
<ref name="n8"> Contributors: Yorktaylors </ref>


</references>
</references>

Latest revision as of 01:28, 13 April 2022

Other languages:

Marcel Proust to Gaston Gallimard [second half? of December 1916]

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

[1]

Dear friend,

I am so sorry, I have been very clumsy. My only wish had been that you forget for a while that I had written a book. So much so that, as I told Copeau[2] a few days ago, if it could relieve you from fatigue and worry, I would take the book back to Grasset. And because I made such a bad job of making you realize all this you have tired yourself by writing to me[3]. Dear friend, don’t think about me, and furthermore don’t think about it in terms of its publisher. Everything will be the way you want, when you want, I don’t say where you want because Copeau told me that what you want is that the book stays with the N.R.F. If that is the case I will definitely leave it with you. And of course since it was already agreed previously I would only have taken it back if that was what you wanted. It goes without saying that the requests I made the other day for my proofs had nothing to do with all this. I asked for them for several reasons of which these are the two principal ones. I thought that as long as they were doing nothing, the counting up of words[4] not taking too long, I could correct a few little things which would speed things up a bit. On the other hand I thought that as an over scrupulous publisher you were still worrying about the care of your authors. So I told myself that while I have the proofs here with me there would be no need for you to worry about a task that, for my part, to all intents and purposes can’t be accomplished, and that might put your mind at rest and free you from worry

I misunderstood. So I will send you back the proofs shortly. I say shortly rather than tomorrow, because I still haven’t looked at them, and since Mme Lemarié has kindly taken such pains to bring me them[5], it would be best if I make the most of things by at least making two or three changes even though they are of little importance. Take good care of yourself dear Gaston. I hope that my book which is without any shadow of impatience though without any shadow of pride (it isn’t “patiens quia aeternus!”[6]), will not be a too tiring distraction for you when you are recovered. It is more of a “novel” than the one you know already, and because of that it might perhaps be, I don’t say more “accessible” but more in accord with the tastes manifested by the particular public it hopes to reach, it seems to me. Dear friend, I don’t want to tire you. Please thank Madame Lemarié for me. I am embarrassed and respectfully grateful for the trouble she has taken for me.

Get plenty of rest my dear friend, my very dear friend, take good care of yourself, get yourself better, I think about you constantly with the strongest feelings of friendship.

Marcel Proust

[7] [8]

Notes

  1. ↑ From December 1916 to February 1917, Gaston Gallimard was suffering from depression, withdrew from the NRF's business affairs, stayed in a sanatorium around the second fortnight in December, and during this period entrusted the day to day business to Madame Lemarié. Proust, no doubt made aware of his absence through Jacques Copeau, had briefly suggested a return to Grasset, and wanted to make use of this period of inactivity to get his manuscript back and make a few corrections to it. When Gallimard was informed about this he became alarmed and repeated his intention to publish La Recherche and asked for the return of the manuscript. Following Gallimard's response (which has not been found), Proust replied back to him proposing to sign a binding contract (CP 04455; Kolb, XIX, no. 418, dated 1917 by Kolb). Madame Lemarié then drafted a reply (CP 04452; Kolb, XIX, no. 415) in which she hoped that 1917 would bring peace, which allows us to date the present letter in the second half of December 1916. [CSz]
  2. ↑ The letter has not been found and the conversation has not been recorded. [CSz, FP]
  3. ↑ The letter has not been found. [CSz]
  4. ↑ See Gallimard's letter to Proust of 9 November [19]16 (CP 05449; MP-GG, no. 32). [CSz]
  5. ↑ Proust thanks Madame Lemarié for having taken this trouble in a letter of the [first half of January 1917] (CP 04451; Kolb, XIX, no. 414). [CS, FP]
  6. ↑ Deus autem patiens est, quia æternus est, et novit diem iudicii sui, ubi omnia examinat [But God is long-suffering, because He is eternal, and He knoweth the day of His own judgement, where He weigheth all things.] Saint Augustine, Enarrationes in Psalmos, psalm 91, par. 7. [CS]
  7. ↑ Translation notes:
  8. ↑ Contributors: Yorktaylors
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