February 05, 2010

The outrageous Roger Peyrefitte

Formed by the Jesuits, Roger Peyrefitte (1907-2000) integrates the free school of political sciences. In 1930, he is appointed secretary to the ambassador in Athens before being recalled to Paris in 1938, following an incident with the young protégé of a Greek admiral. He resigns in 1940 but resumes his duties in Paris in 1943. The publication in 1944 of his first novel, Les Amitiés particulières, gives him immediate fame, crowned by the Prix Renaudot. The story chronicles the journey of George, a young boy who joined a Jesuit school in Languedoc, where he lives a love story with a comrade. The sulphurous reputation gained with this book marks the end of Roger Peyrefitte's diplomatic career. He becomes then a full-time writer and publishes an important work, including an important biography of Alexander the Great. With André Gide, he is one of the few authors to talk about homosexuality, denouncing with irony and sophistication, the hypocrisies of the society in which he evolved.
(source : wikipédia)

Currently, the librairie Loliée offers :
  • Les Amitiés particulières. Marseille, Vigneau, 1943, in-4. First edition. One of the 200 copies on Johannot vellum paper with a dedication from the author to Madame Marthe Peyrony.
  • La Mort d’une mère. Paris, Flammarion, 1950, in-8, full levant binding by Bellavée . First edition. One of the 30 first copies on Lana paper with a long dedication from the author to his "dear Marie-Françoise".
  • Chevaliers de Malte. Paris, Flammarion, 1957, in-12. First edition. Oneof the 100 first copies sur on Marais paper.
  • L’Enfant Amour. Paris, Flammarion, 1969, in-8. First edition. A copy on Madagascar vellum paper..