☙ Mort d'un Personnage

1949 - Jean Giono

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☙ Mort d'un Personnage

✑ Jean Giono

MORT D'UN PERSONNAGE

"Mort d'un Personnage" represents a pivotal work in Jean Giono's literary production, published in 1949 by Bernard Grasset. This novel marks the Provençal writer's return to the French literary scene after the difficult post-war years. The work explores with remarkable psychological depth the death of an ordinary man, transforming a mundane event into a universal meditation on human existence. This copy possesses exceptional value as a first edition from the first printing, completed on March 15, 1949, by Imprimerie Crété in Corbeil. Even more remarkable, it is dedicated and signed by Jean Giono himself in May 1949, bearing witness to a precise moment when the author was sharing his freshly published work. This dedication transforms the book into a unique historical document, carrying the direct trace of Giono's hand. For collectors of 20th-century French literature, this copy represents a rare opportunity to acquire not only a first edition of a major work, but also an autograph testimony from one of the greatest stylists of the French language.

Why add it to your collection?

First edition from the first printing, completed on March 15, 1949

Copy dedicated and signed by Jean Giono in May 1949, just weeks after publication

Major work in Giono's novelistic cycle, exploring themes of death and identity

Rare testimony to Giono's literary renaissance in the post-war period

Exceptional provenance with autograph dedication from one of the greatest French writers of the 20th century

Description

Historical and Literary Context

Published in 1949, "Mort d'un Personnage" appears at a crucial moment in Jean Giono's career. After being questioned at the Liberation for his pacifist positions during the war, the writer undertook a profound renewal of his style and themes. This novel marks the beginning of what would be called his "second manner," characterized by darker, more ironic writing and a more complex exploration of human psychology.

The work recounts the final moments and death of a small-town bourgeois, transforming what could be a simple news item into a masterful reflection on existence, identity, and memory. Giono deploys all his storytelling art, mixing meticulous realism and philosophical meditation in remarkably beautiful prose that makes this text one of the peaks of his work.

Characteristics of the First Edition

This copy comes from the first printing of the original edition, completed on March 15, 1949, by Imprimerie Crété in Corbeil (Seine-et-Oise) for Éditions Bernard Grasset in Paris. The printing completion statement is a crucial element in establishing the authenticity and priority of this edition. Bernard Grasset, one of the most prestigious Parisian publishers of the era, had already published several of Giono's works and maintained a privileged editorial relationship with him.

The book presents the characteristic format of Grasset publications from this period, with careful typography and elegant layout that highlights Giono's text. The original cover bears the publishing house's distinctive mark, testifying to the importance given to this publication in the Grasset catalog.

The Autograph Dedication

The most remarkable element of this copy remains unquestionably Jean Giono's autograph dedication, inscribed in May 1949, just a few weeks after the book's publication. This temporal proximity between publication and dedication gives this copy exceptional documentary value. It bears witness to the precise moment when Giono, freed from the constraints of writing, was sharing his work with his readers and perhaps his close ones.

Giono's dedications are particularly sought after by collectors, because although generous with his pen, the writer dedicated only a limited number of copies of each of his works. Each dedication constitutes a unique document, bearing the trace of the author's personality and his relationship with the recipient.

Literary Importance and Heritage Value

"Mort d'un Personnage" occupies a central place in Giono's work and in 20th-century French literature. The novel was hailed by critics as a masterpiece of psychological subtlety and stylistic mastery. It prefigures the great works of Giono's maturity, notably the "Hussard sur le toit" cycle and the "Chroniques romanesques."

This dedicated copy from the first printing therefore represents a triple interest: bibliophilic (original edition), historical (testimony to a key moment in Giono's career), and patrimonial (autograph document from a great writer). For any lover of modern French literature, it constitutes an exceptional collector's piece, combining rarity, authenticity, and literary importance.

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