Handwritten letter from Guillaume Apollinaire to Carol Bérard (1917)

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Guillaume Apollinaire, the author of fundamental texts on Surrealism, arranges a meeting at Cafe De Flore, in Paris.

Letter written and signed by Guillaume Apollinaire to Carol Bérard. One page. In French. 10.5 cm x 13 cm. November 15, 1917, Paris. Excellent condition. Single piece.

Thursday. I give in Paris, at noon, an echo ringing its musical society. Come see me on a Tuesday between 5 ¼ and 7 am at Café de Flore, Boulevard St Germain. I have something to offer you. Yours sincerely. Guillaume Apollinaire.

Guillaume Apollinaire (1880 – 1918) was a French poet and one of the most important French intellectuals of the early 20th century. He became known for having written fundamental texts on Cubism and Surrealism, a word he invented.

A friend of Pablo Picasso, Blaise Cendrars and Jean Cocteau, among others, he began publishing short stories and poems from 1902 onwards. Later, he revealed to the public the libertine texts of the Marquis de Sade, shocking traditional French society. In 1918, after the First World War, in which he participated, he launched the famous "Calligrammes", poems about peace and war, an exceptional work for its originality. Historical anecdote, Apollinaire was accused, with Picasso, of complicity in the theft of Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, in the Louvre.

Here Guillaume Apollinaire writes to Carol Bérard, a French composer, renowned for his studies on music, to arrange a meeting at the Cafe de Flore. This typical Paris bistro was at the time - and even today - one of the most frequented spots for artists and intellectuals. André Breton or Louis Aragon, who invented Surrealism, Picasso, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir met daily at Cafe de Flore to exchange ideas, work or simply drink wine.

This little letter, written just a few months after the creation of the word surrealism, unites Guillaume Apollinaire and Cafe de Flore, two famous names in French culture. Of additional interest, the envelope is also in excellent condition.