Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin (1870-1953)
On publishing Mitya's Love in France. 1925
Two autograph letters signed ('Ivan Bounine') to [Maurice Delamain at] the Libraire Stock, Villa Belvédère, Grasse, 24 May and [30 June] 1925.

In French. Two pages, 283 x 222mm and 142 x 112mm, the second on a letter-card; red stamps of the Librairie Stock. Provenance: (the first) Ader, Paris, 13 December 2012, lot 107 – RR Auction, 16 Apr 2015, lot 631; (the second) Boisgirard-Antonini, Paris, 6 April 2016, lot 2.

On publishing Mitya's Love in France. 'Boris de Schloetzer [sic] has told me that he has passed to you my novel Le Martyre and you have had the intention of publishing it. I would like to know your definitive answer and your conditions'. In the second letter, Bunin writes briefly 'As for the title of my novel I could suggest one more: Le Sacrement de l'amour [The sacrement of love]'.

Le Sacrement de l'amour was in fact the title chosen for the French edition of Mitya's Love: the title quoted in Bunin's first letter, Le Martyre, was apparently a working title of the translator Michel Dumesnil de Gramont. The Russian-born Boris de Schlözer (1881-1969) was a prolific French translator of Russian literature.

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