Écrits sur l’eau…
One of the copies on vergé paper (no. 74).
Signed presentation inscription: “À Léon Daudet, le lyrique pastronné du Voyage de Shakespeare et de la Flamme et l'Ombre, en témoignage d'une longue et fervente admiration. Francis de Miomandre.”
This novel by a then almost unknown young writer struck the jury with its freshness and refinement. Écrits sur l’eau… tells of the love affairs of a Spanish painter, set in a sensual, sunlit atmosphere with a distinctly Mediterranean charm.
The work reflects the early twentieth century’s taste for exoticism and luminous landscapes, close to the Symbolist aesthetic, and helped broaden the scope of the Prix Goncourt, which was then finding its place in the literary landscape. The novel was elected with half the votes, against Jean Viollis, who also received five; Léon Hennique, the president, cast the deciding vote.
A good copy, enriched with a remarkable presentation inscription to Léon Daudet, member of the Académie Goncourt.
From the “Prix Goncourt” library of Gérard Pouguet, with bookplate.