Louis-Ferdinand CÉLINE. 4 L.A.S. "LF", Korsør... Lot 395

Louis-Ferdinand CÉLINE. 4 L.A.S. "LF", [Korsør 1950], to Robert Le Vigan; 9pages in-fol. Unpublished correspondence between the two exiles, the writer and the brilliant actor. [Robert Coquillaud, known as Le Vigan (1900-1972) had followed Céline to Sigmaringen, where he was immortalized in Nord under the nickname "La Vigue". Arrested in 1945 at Feldkirch and imprisoned at Fresnes, he was sentenced in 1946 to ten years' hard labor, national indignity and confiscation of his property. Ill, he was paroled in October 1948, and went into exile in Spain and Argentina at the beginning of September 1950]. On June 24th [Le Vigan's pencilled note: "received in July 50 in Spain"]: "You're off to the Americas! You're right! We'll probably never see each other again! I'm just kidding about England, we really don't stand a chance - for nowhere - here we're trapped. The Russians will come up the Elbe and everything will be over in 3 hours! As for the people from the British Embassy, they'll be flown out and Mikkelsen with them! And then they'll have already given me to the local Communists. It must already be done. You know the scenario. We'll finish ourselves off. No longer fit for the cages! And good riddance shit shit!"... July 1. Back home after 6 weeks in hospital in Copenhagen: "Sensationalism also rots medicine! and surgery. Make the operated ones get up from the billiard table, even play ball!". Still worried about Lucette's health, and money worries. The harsh living conditions in this "archi bled"... "I'm also rushing through my novel to try to find some money - you can say I'm overworked - I'm working like 10! with what's left of my validity! 25 p 100! [...] You bet I don't give a damn about Korea, the war and Patachon! Political ideas are for idle people. If someone wants to kill me, let them! I'd work my ass off to death! [...] Fuck Korea! We're too miserable for big ideas. I know they're all murderers - it's not new! it's tedious. If there's another St. Bartholomew's Day - we'll be the first to be impaled again"... October 1st. [note in pencil: "1st letter to Argentina"] "Fiston, we prayed a thousand times for you to get to the Canaries! Oh, I know them. I was there often in my SDN days. [...] My return to France! Say! Out of twenty million corpses, yes, perhaps, but not before my son!" He instructs Le Vigan in Argentina to say hello to Dr. Soupault, and to find "a Professor Zwanck - Argentine schmout - whom I've taken around the world"... 15th [Autumn?]: "It is madness and ridicule that rule the world. [...] General war? hum! and hum! Of course, we desire it passionately and shamefully. All of us desperate and full of hate. Of course we do! It's a matter for the madmen of East and West. Let them murder each other [...] It'll be the unleashing of the most sadistic madmen - everywhere. [...] It's all about following the train of the most astute - the most perverse - lunatics, that's all, if we can! Oh, not out of a desire to survive, shit! for the fun of it, the sport of it! at last! we've had enough of tons of gall! sincerity! archimerde! Oh I have no hope! less than anyone else! [...] We've got an icy shack, but a shack - we never see anyone where we are! We don't speak a word of Danish! We're as good as dead already. Lucette's health worries me, and so does Bébert's - the three of us came, the three of us will leave - we've probably traveled enough! [...] The fact is, the Voyage was stolen from me. 20,000 drawn last year. Not a penny touched! [...] Total mess. No recourse. I'm outside the law! and the taxman is waiting for me with 3 million in taxes and arrears plus seizure of everything!"...