Manuscrit trouvé dans la poche de M. Paul Souday
Paris: Èditions de la Mandragore [ c.1927 ]. 29pp. 8vo.
Item #7115
Paul Souday (1869-1929) was one of the most important French literary critics of his time and the author of biographies of Gide, Proust and Valéry. Although very traditional in his tastes, he engaged in an extended correspondence with Proust and wrote his obituary for the New York Times. Nonetheless, Souday often fulminated with homophobic diatribes, including this excerpt in an essay on Gide's Les Faux Monnayeurs: "[There are] annoying analogies between André Gide's various heroes and Mr. Charlus and his friends. Oh! There is no crudity in the language here. All of this is discrete, veiled, and a very innocent reader would not necessarily understand what it's all about. On the other hand, it's all too clear. Truly, it becomes intolerable, especially with Gide's seriousness and insipid sentimentality." (See Levitz, Modernist Mysteries: Persephone @ 267.) Souday had presented a questionnaire on the subject of homosexuality to a number of other homophobic French writers in in 1926 edition of the literary journal Les Marges, which perhaps was the impetus for the present publication. The edition contains a number of short essays on a range of "issues" related to homosexuality and we surmise that the author was in fact submitting a parody of Souday and his compatriots. Very good in original stapled wrappers. Quite rare, no institutional copies located.
Price: $325.00