GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE (1880-1918) LETTRE AUTOGRAPHE... Lot 2

GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE (1880-1918) LETTRE AUTOGRAPHE SIGNÉE à ma chère amie. N... GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE (1880-1918) AUTOGRAPHIC LETTER SIGNED to my dear friend. Nîmes, March 22, 1915, 2 pages in-4 in ink on Tortoni café letterhead. Apollinaire relates his days as a gunner. But no, my dear friend, I do not put fantasy in a job which requires above all discipline. I put good humor in it, like all my comrades, and poetry as well, because it is my responsibility. On the other hand, life is not as simple in the artillery as portrayed in your epinal image. Riding, as you know, especially in the army, is a beautiful thing, but it is difficult and painful, especially for someone who starts it at 34 years old... Don't paint my life as an amusement, but it is not boring and I like it. Going through the villages with a sword is full of charm and grandeur... Marie [Laurencin] has given me news of herself several times. She is a kind friend'... AUTOGRAPH LETTER, SIGNED. Nîmes, 22nd March 1915, 2pp, ink on paper on Tortoni café letterhead, 4to. Apollinaire recounts his days as a gunner. But no, my dear friend, I don't put fantasy in a job that requires above all discipline. I put good humor in it, like all my comrades, and poetry as well, because it is my responsibility. On the other hand, life is not as simple in the artillery as portrayed in your epinal image. Riding, as you know, especially in the army, is a beautiful thing, but it is difficult and painful, especially for someone who starts it at 34 years old... Don't paint my life as an entertainment, but it is not boring and I like it, going through the villages with a sword is full of charm and grandeur... Marie [Laurencin] herself has given me news of her several times. She is a kind friend'... Footnotes: Provenance Private collection, France. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com