Monique Saint-Hélier & Jean Paulhan, 1941-1955

Correspondence Jean Paulhan & Monique Saint-Hélier, 1941-1955

Paulhan shows Monique Saint-Hélier a tender but distant friendship, stimulating by this conciseness of the heart which does not allow itself any effusion. Truly seduced by this fragile woman, full of intuition and passion, he seeks to invigorate her inner resources, to set her in motion, to infuse her with new energy that makes her come out of herself... He never feels sorry for himself: “If I thought of pitying you, I would not think of admiring you.”
As for Monique Saint-Hélier, isolated from the outside world, left to her imagination and the resources of reading, she finds in this friendship what she is essentially looking for: an intense and playful relationship with life; a renewed desire to meet things and beings; finally, attentive, free listening to what she really is - thanks to Paulhan's ability to reflect on others.

Publisher : Gallimard

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