Lucilla Alice Severina

"When Montesquiou hosted a party, for instance, he would draw up two lists – one of the invitees, the other of those knowingly excluded."

"It was said he could dress in cabbage leaves and still possess un chic suprême. He could discern gradations of grey invisible to the lay eye."

"He would hold his hand in front of his mouth to hide his rotten teeth – something he shared with his idol Ludwig II, although he never ran to fat like the Bavarian king. In fact Montesquiou was rejected for military service for being 'excessively thin', although he did win bronze in an equestrian event at the 1900 Olympics."

"When burglars broke into his Le Vésinet property but later attested in court that 'there was nothing for us there', Montesquiou accepted this as high praise."

"Lorrain spread a story that Montesquiou had been at the tragic fire at the Bazar de la Charité in 1897, and had used his cane to beat women out of the way as he saved his own skin. It was a terrible calumny; Montesquiou was nowhere near the blaze but the story gained purchase because people could imagine him doing such a thing."

February 13, 1897: duel Marcel Proust vs Jean Lorrain.

Don’t let the epicness of the term fools you: Cause of duel was Proust being offended after an article where Lorrain called him gay (He indeed stole one of his crush)…and said his last book was boring af. Which probably was, Proust never made short and engaging books.

Anyway, Proust, quick to duel but not really fan of bullet wounds, agreed with Lorrain to shoot at the ground, and so was concluded the duel, after which one Proust was really proud of himself for this act of courage.

I’m re-reading In search of lost time.

Mother and child

Max Nonnenbruch (German, 1857-1922)

Hylas and the Nymphs

Awakening