Handwritten manuscript in French, unsigned, twelve pages, no date but circa late 1850s. Dumas’s manuscript for a two-part story entitled ‘One of My Amorous Adventures,’ possibly intended for serial publication. Dumas recounts his acquaintance with Lilla Bulyovsky, a Hungarian actress who has come to Paris to meet important people in the arts. Bearing a letter of introduction to the author from a mutual acquaintance, she comes to see him hoping to be introduced to Lamartine, Alphonse Karr, and Dumas fils. Despite his irritation at being interrupted in his work, he chats with her and is captivated by her charm. He agrees to dine with her and show her around Paris, eventually accompanying her as far as Brussels when she decides to return home. Eventually they wind up in Dumas’s apartment, where he writes (translated): "I kissed her, in the English manner or German style, as lightly as you might please. She returned the kiss in a way that for a French woman would have been highly significant, and then settled into her corner.” In fine condition, with chipping to edges. Dumas met Lilla von Bulyovsky in Paris in 1856 and published a story about his time with her, ‘Une aventure d'amour,’ in 1860. It seems that this manuscript is related to that book in some fashion, and it offers an interesting perspective on the author’s personal life. Pre-certified PSA/DNA.
This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for
$50.00
*This item has been pre-certified by a trusted third-party authentication service, and by placing a bid on this item, you agree to accept the opinion of this authentication service. If you wish to have an opinion rendered by a different authenticator of your choosing, you must do so prior to your placing of any bid. RR Auction is not responsible for differing opinions submitted 30 days after the date of the sale.
