Max Jacob and the people from Quimper - Life in Paris


His faithful friends

Max Jacob met his best friends at the grammar school La Tour d´Auvergne : the Villard brothers‚ who chose to remain in the vieux pays‚ the Bolloré brothers‚ who died tragically.

Although he left Quimper‚ Max did not break contact with his childhood friends : Pierre Allier – historian of Quimper – , René Villard‚ Charles Roux and the doctor Tuset. When he came back to Quimper‚ Max enjoyed seeing his artist friends Jean Caveng – the caricaturist and painter of Quimper’s life – ‚ Giovanni Leonardi – sculptor and ceramist of Silician origin established in Quimper – , and also Savigny...

Max was a much debated topic in Quimper but his friends always took his side. Abel Villard said about him :

« Except for his friends‚ he was always disconcerting. He had two faces : the very sensitive writer and poet‚ and the street urchin‚ who loved fooling his neighbours‚ a novator and a queer character‚ who has his place in our literature ».

Max in 1932, with Jean Tuset
Max in 1932, with Jean Tuset




His holidays in Quimper

Although he spent most of his time in Paris‚ Jacob enjoyed coming in August to his old Quimper in order to meet his family and his friend in the Café de l’épée‚ where he went every day. But‚ he sometimes went away – which displeased the people of Quimper – to Bénodet‚ Tréboul‚ or Douarnenez. The circumstances‚ his mother’s death in November 1937 to begin with‚ brought him back into his native town and his last trip to Quimper took place in the spring 1942 for his sister Delphine’s funeral.





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