Correspondance d'Alphonse de Lamartine

Deuxième série: 1807–1829. Textes réunis, classés et annotés par Christian Croisille et Marie-Renée Morin, Paris, Champion, 2004. Tome i: 1807–1815, 566 pp. Hb €92.00. Tome ii: 1816–1829. 598 pp. Hb €95.00. Having completed the publication of Lamartine's letters between 1830 and 1867, Christian Croisille has now, as he promised, begun a second series devoted to the poet's early years. Whereas the previous volumes gave the reader an insight into Lamartine the epic poet, historian, essayist and politician, the two volumes under review present us with a picture of his formative years. Whereas much of Lamartine's mature correspondence inevitably has an official, conventional air, the tone of the early letters is often very different, much less constrained. At the heart of the first volume lie a series of exchanges between Lamartine and a group of male friends and it is particularly interesting to see how he tailors the image that he projects of himself in order to suit the character and the expectations of his various correspondents. He has moments of ennui and periods of ill-health but he always bounces back. The portrait emerges of a young man yearning for freedom and seeking to live life to the full. There are numerous references to his love life — and not only to his early passion for Henriette Pommier. There are allusions to various transient liaisons and to his sexual needs. In 1812, he confides to his closest friend, Aymon de Virieu, that he needs to find a new mistress in order to calm his imagination and his nerves. In 1813, we find him suffering considerable pain as an consequence of venereal disease. The second volume covers the crucial period of the tragic affair with Julie Charles in 1816. A fine letter of 26 October 1818 strikes an appropriately Pascalian note and develops the theme of the vanity of human wishes. Although few letters from Charles have survived, Lamartine's exchanges with other correspondents testify to the intensity of the relationship and to the effect that her death from tuberculosis in December 1818 had on him. On numerous occasions we see Lamartine submitting drafts or completed poems to his friends for comment. The exchanges of the years between 1817 and 1819 show how the project of the Méditations was coming to fruition. They also reveal the importance that Lamartine attributed to his drama Saül, which Virieu actively promoted in the salons of Paris during the author's absence. By 1819, we have the impression that Lamartine has become a rising star on the literary scene. Although political and social concerns rarely manifest themselves in the letters of this period, we are given a clear sense of the ease with which the poet moved in conservative circles. There are references to Bonald, Lamennais and to the family of de Maistre. Both these volumes remind the reader of the extent to which Lamartine's ambitions were constrained by the need to secure a regular source of substantial income. He seems always to be in debt, juggling various loans, never fully able to restrict his expenditure. The second volume chronicles his attempts to secure a well-remunerated position, preferably in the diplomatic service. However, matters uncomfortably came to a head in 1819 when, to his embarrassment and indignation, the full extent of his indebtedness was revealed to other members of his family circle. In the absence of a source of regular income the best road to financial solvency lay in securing a marriage with a lady of means. Indeed, before, during and after the relationship with Julie Charles, Lamartine was evaluating the qualities of potential candidates. His protracted courtship of the Englishwoman Marianne Birch began in 1819. These letters convey the character of a man committed to literature and to the private values of love and friendship. They also provide a clear sense of how Lamartine remained spiritually rooted in rural France despite his metropolitan success. These letters show us a man, scarred emotionally by loss, about to embark upon a brilliant literary career

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