SAINTE-BEUVE CHARLES AUGUSTIN: (1804-1869) French literary Critic. Proust´s masterwork A la Recherche du temps ...

SAINTE-BEUVE CHARLES AUGUSTIN: (1804-1869) French literary Critic. Proust´s masterwork A la Recherche du temps perdu develops the ideas contained in his well-known set of essays Contre Sainte-Beuve (''Against Sainte-Beuve''). A very interesting A.L.S., Ste-Beuve, one page, 8vo, n.p., n.d., Saturday, to a woman [Jeanne Destourbet], in French. Sainte Beuve starts his letter stating `My dear and kind friend, I was feeling bad yesterday, and to my great regret had to leave suddenly although didn´t want to. Pasha Halil Bey had invited me for dinner next Saturday together with you..´ further sending intimate compliments to his correspondent `Yesterday your beauty was enhanced and superb. I can see that you have more than one kind of beauty, it´s as per your wish, depending on the day, on your whims, I like both. I even like the third, when you wear your robe de chamber, your hair half-combed..´ A letter of good association. With integral blank leaf. Together with A.L.S., Ste-Beuve, one page, 8vo, n.p., n.d., Friday, to a Monsieur de Lavergne, in French. Sainte Beuve politely rejects his correspondent´s dinner invitation, stating in part `I am just returning from my library, (today was my day) so tired and exhausted that I cannot accept the pleasure of having dinner with you. I will think about it with sadness on my bed where I will spend the rest of the evening…´ With a blind embossed seal from Bath to the upper left corner. Bearing to the verso the correspondent´s name and address in Sainte-Beuve´s hand. Very small folding, otherwise VG £60-90 Jeanne Tourbey (1837- ?) Also known as Jeanne Destourbet was a very famous courtesan of her time. Prince Jerome Napoleon offered her a large house in Paris where she used to receive a long list of lovers including Alexandre Dumas, Téophile Gautier, Gustave Flaubert, Sainte-Beuve, and Pasha Halil Serif who spent several millions in presents and looking after her. Pasha Halil Serif (1831-1879) Also known as Halil Bey, Ottoman diplomat and art collector. Appointed commissioner to the International Exhibition in Paris in 1855, and later Ottoman Ambassador to Athens and Saint Petersburg where he began collecting art. Téophile Gautier described Pasha´s collection as ''The first ever to be formed by a child of Islam''. Pasha Halil serif was introduced to Gustave Courbet by Sainte-Beuve, and commissioned Le Sommeil (''The Sleepers'') and L´origine du monde from him. His collection included several Delacroix masterpieces.