Le Rhinocéros

Name: Le Rhinocéros
SKU: 30416
Author: Eugène Ionesco

Paris, Gallimard, coll. « Le Manteau d'arlequin », (May 6) 1959.

1 vol. (115 x 180 mm) of 198 p. and [5] f. Calf, box calf and fancy leather in shaded brown tones, mosaic decoration extending onto the spine, title in Oeser leather at spine, date gilt at foot, matching doublures, blue calf endleaves, edges gilt on the rough, original wrappers and spine preserved, chemise and slipcase (binding signed C. Léonard).

First edition.

One of 13 copies on vélin de Hollande, this copy no. 2.

Based on a story published in 1957 in the review Les Lettres nouvelles, Le Rhinocéros was first staged in Düsseldorf, in German, on 31 October 1959, before being performed in Paris on 20 January 1960 under the title Rhinocéros (without the article), the title retained for later editions, at the Théâtre de l’Odéon, directed by Jean-Louis Barrault. On this occasion, Ionesco noted that the play had until then only been performed in small theaters, and that this was a first: “Barrault is not lacking in courage, staging my play in a state theater!” Courage, and intuition.

The success was immense. Rhinocéros was Ionesco’s first major play, the one that opened the doors of every theater in Europe and the world to him.

A fine copy in a binding signed by Christine Léonard, a student of Tchékéroul and Micheline de Bellefroid at La Cambre, long established in Brussels. An exhibition was devoted to her in 1992 at the Bibliotheca Wittockiana. Many of her bindings are found in major Belgian collections (Hayoit, de Sadeleer, Moureau…).

From the library of Robert Moureau (bookplate).

#30416

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