ALAIN-FOURNIER (Henri-Alban Fournier, known as). - Lot 8

ALAIN-FOURNIER (Henri-Alban Fournier, known as). Born in La Chapelle d'Angillon. 1886–killed in action on September 22, 1914. Writer, author of *Le Grand Meaulnes*. Postcard letter from A.S. “H. Fournier” to Jean-Gustave Tronche [future administrator of the NRF]. Paris, January 7, 1910. 1 page, in-12 format. Address and postmarks. Fournier informs Jean-Gustave Tronche (administrator of the NRF publishing house) of his visit the following day: ...If you are not at home on Sunday morning between 10:30 and 11:30, or if it would inconvenience you for me to stop by at that time—along with a friend who wishes to see *La Grappe*—would you be so kind as to let me know with a note.... The son of schoolteachers and a student in his father’s class, Henri-Alban Fournier spent his childhood in La Chapelle-d’Angillon in the Berry region. In 1910, he was working as a literary columnist for *Paris-Journal*. He began publishing a few poems, essays, and short stories, which met with some success. But above all, he slowly crafted the work that would make him famous: *Le Grand Meaulnes*, published in November 1913 by Émile-Paul. This novel narrowly missed winning the Prix Goncourt but was almost unanimously praised by critics of the time. Mobilized as a reserve lieutenant, Fournier was killed in the very first battles. The painting *La Grappe, ou autour de la chanteuse* is a work by André Lhote, dated 1908, which belonged to Jean-Gustave Tronche, whose sister, Lucie, was a childhood friend of the painter. It was in Bordeaux in 1906 that Jacques Rivière met André Lhote. This marked the beginning of an extensive correspondence, which Henri Alain-Fournier—a friend and brother-in-law of Jacques Rivière—joined in 1909. The correspondence between the three young artists—Lhote, Fournier, and Rivière—offers a glimpse into the artistic transformations of the era.