3 letters dictated by Marcel Proust.

8vo. Together 7 pp. In French. From the correspondence with the publisher Jacques Rivi re, concerning the publication of extracts of the "Recherche" in Rivi re's Nouvelle Revue Fran aise (NRF). The earliest letter, dated 17 January 1921, was dictated to his then secretary Henri Rochat, the later letters (September and October 1922) to his assistant C leste Albaret. - The first letter concerns the forthcoming publication of the extract "Le Baiser" from "Le c t des Guermantes" on 1 February 1921. Proust relates that he "worked all night" on the proofs, lamenting that Rivi re is a "quite demanding master". He also mentions that he suggested to Gaston Gallimard working simultaneously with several printers on "Guermantes" and the fourth volume "Sodome et Gomorrhe I et II", as he "could correct many proofs", but has not yet received an answer: "nous gagnerions beaucoup de temps si j'envoyais ma fin corrig e de Guermantes II un second imprimeur et le manuscrit de Sodome I un troisi me imprimeur ; mais tout cela est pour un m me ouvrage peut' tre es [!] impossible d'atteler plusieurs imprimeurs un m me ouvrage". Although Proust himself doubts how feasible this suggestion may be, he stresses that it is important not to lose a single day. In closing, he points to a misprint: "le brouillon parle d'un 'entreteneur', alors que l' preuve parle d'un 'entrepreneur', ce qui "ne veut rien dire du tout". - The second letter can be dated to 22 September 1922. Written in third person, it first relates how Proust suffered from "asthmatic crises such as he never had before", which made it "impossible to occupy himself with the book". Concerning the ongoing publications, Proust laments that "the extract le sommeil d'Albertine is a bit short and should be seasoned with adjacent pieces". While Proust had previously been "indifferent" to the placement of his extracts in the NRF, he now wishes to be "put first", although he understands if this is not possible. - The final letter can be dated to 12 or 13 October, a month before Proust's death. Incapable of correcting proofs of extracts from "La Prisonni re" himself, due to a high fever, Proust asks Rivi re to eliminate any repetitions. He also condemns the ending of the final phrase "on the artist and the man of reason" as stupid, wondering how such a mistake could have happened: "Comme ma fi vre a sensiblement augment , je n'ai plus ajout de corrections celle que j'ai d j faites. Si vous avez la gentillesse de jeter un il bienveillant sur le tout, qui n est pas long, vous pourrez peut- tre enlever quelques redites, qui affaiblisse. En tous cas je ne puis comprendre par quel erreur de manuscrit la phrase finale fini si b tement, sur l'artiste et l'homme de bon sens". In the final sentence of the letter, Proust bids farewell to Rivi re, expecting that he will not be able to dictate further letters. - Gallimard had originally refused to publish the "Recherche" based on the judgment of Andr Gide, and Proust published "Du c t de chez Swann" at his own expense with Grassot in 1914. Gide later apologized to Proust, and Jacques Rivi re managed to secure the publication rights for Gallimard, starting with " l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs" in 1918. Apart from being his editor at Gallimard and the NRF, Jacques Rivi re was one of Proust's earliest admirers and defenders. Their correspondence stretches from 1914 to 1922. - Traces of folds. Letter from September 1922 with an old restoration. - Published in: Corr., XX, no. 18 ; XXI, nos. 328 and 344; Marcel Proust et Jacques Rivi re, Correspondance, 1914-1922, Paris: Gallimard, 1976, nos. 101, 185 and 192.