French writer (1811-1872) of drama, poetry, fiction, and criticism who was widely influential in the development of modernism. Rare ALS in French, three pages on two adjoining sheets, 5 x 7.75, March 18, 1859. Letter to fellow writer Ernest-Aime Feydeau, written from Russia before Gautier's return to France. He discusses the necessary formalities to leave and the difficult terms of the return journey from St. Petersburg, in part (translated): "One has to publish one's departure three times in the papers so your creditors-if you have any-can come collect the money, after which you have to exchange your French passport for a Russian passport and for this, you have to submit a request. All of this requires time, physically and morally. Furthermore, you need a place at the post office for which you have to wait up to six weeks." To save time, he will travel by kibitka, "a kind of salad basket on runners to which four or five horses are attached. For four nights and three days we will be wrapped in fur coats and lying on hay like calves, the temperature being minus eight or ten degrees centigrade-and the car is open! Judge for yourself how much I will long to arrive at my destination. Last week, we had six feet of snow…I am literally risking my life and I can assure you, I am normally not a fussy traveler…This trip would be impossible without my companion who speaks Russian perfectly and without a special order that authorizes us to claim horses and even to have them unhitched from other coaches if there are not enough horses around." He will be "on time for the exposition, and since I will be less occupied with stopping my nose from freezing I will throw lots of copies into all openings." He looks forward to seeing Feydeau again, "beloved colonel of metaphors," and to hearing him "bawling phrases in Flaubert's manner and rhythm that will drive the bourgeoisie up the wall." There is one excuse for his prolonged stay: "I was able to sell fourteen thousand copies of Fanny! Hence you can see that the Russians are mighty intelligent; they only ask to have their hearts and minds deformed. Still, I start to think too often about the contraltos, about the green and yellow monsters, about the cats and the white rats and also about the Neuilly bus, this charming vehicle. I even feel almost like seeing a vaudeville, a sure sign of my decline and cretinism." In fine condition, with a repaired tear to the lower right corner passing into the signature. Accompanied by an export certificate from the French Ministry of Culture.
Gautier spent the winter of 1858-1859 in Russia and enjoyed his time there immensely, despite the cold weather. The book he mentions, Fanny, was written by Feydeau in 1858 and found enormous success upon publication. Both he and Gautier were friends with Flaubert, who also receives a mention in this letter. Over the next decade, Gautier wrote much about his time in Russia, publishing Tresors d'Art de la Russie [Treasures of Russian Art] in 1861 and Voyage en Russie [Voyage in Russia] in 1867. His travel literature is considered among the best of the 19th century, revealing his personal tastes in art and culture. Lengthy and rife with fascinating content, this is an ideal letter by the esteemed French writer.
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