L’Otage

From 1908, Claudel devoted himself to the theater, producing a trilogy known as the “Coûfontaine cycle” on nineteenth-century society: L’Otage (1911), Le Pain dur (1918) and Le Père humilié (1920). “I wished to compose a cycle of dramas producing not merely characters, but the whole array of strange, multiple and convergent means by which these characters themselves are produced for God’s intended ends.”

This is the first book printed by the Nouvelle Revue française: the modest “publishing counter” had been founded by a group of writers gathered around André Gide, working toward the formulation of a “modern classicism.” Encouraged by the warm reception of their review, they wished to have a “library” of their own in which to publish in book form some of the texts that had appeared, or were to appear, in La NRF, whether serialized or in extracts. Gide persuaded Claudel to reserve his future plays for the new imprint, which Claudel did.

L’Otage, the first of Claudel’s plays to be staged, was produced in 1914 at the Théâtre de l’Œuvre by Lugné-Poë.

This deluxe-paper printing appeared a month after the ordinary edition and constitutes the “first deluxe paper” published under the auspices of the Éditions de la NRF.

It should be noted, however, that a réimposé printing of 20 copies was produced in May: entirely hors commerce, it was reserved for the bibliophile society “Les XX.”

Old stain on the first blank leaf.