It was in 1923 that the Tiger met Marguerite Baldensperger. He is 80 years old and she is 40. They will live together an epistolary love story. On the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of their meeting, a comic book tells this little-known story which had as its main setting the house of the Tiger located in Saint-Vincent-sur-Jard in Vendée.
This is Benoit Mély’s first comic strip.
She was inspired by reading one of the many biographies devoted to the Vendée politician.
And to this little known episode of the last love story of the Tiger who was well and truly tamed by Marguerite, 40 years his junior.
“This love story, I find it crazy. Beautiful and extremely romantic.“says Benoit Mely on the phone back in Paris after signing sessions in several bookstores in Vendée.
“Indeed it is a gentleman who is 82 years old. Who has his whole life behind him and who has had a lot of conquests. After a setback he says to himself I am going to retire from political life. And I’m going to take the opportunity to go around the world” recounts with verve the author of “Clemenceau, the twilight of the Tiger”.
“He goes to the United States, hunts tigers in India and then goes to Africa. Then he returns home to Paris. It receives all kinds of characters. In the middle there is this woman Marguerite Baldensperger, who is married to an academic” continued Benoit Mély.
Marguerite Baldensperger asks to meet the Tiger because she sets up an edition dedicated to youth by asking great personalities to talk about the people who have marked them.
This is how she will meet Clémenceau who agrees to receive her.
The current passes between the two.
He finds her charming. She is impressed by the great man and by his simplicity.
They will meet again on other occasions.
He will end up intrigued by asking him: “But I don’t understand every time we see each other you are in black. Are you mourning for someone?” Marguerite collapses and explains to him that she has lost her eldest daughter. His daughter who committed suicide because of heartbreak. He is extremely touched. He takes her hand and says to her: “I offer you a pact, you will help me to die and I will help you to live”
Benoit Deepauthor of “Clemenceau, the twilight of the Tiger”
In his book Benoit Mély tells in pictures this correspondence between the two beings.
What should have been a professional relationship becomes a friendship.
Then what was supposed to be a friendly relationship becomes more and more inflamed.
The letters are very beautiful and very romantic.
It’s an almost adolescent love.
“At the time it doesn’t happen because he’s a big man, he’s old and she’s a married woman. It could talk” confie Benoit Deep.
He decides to burn the letters. Except that she will keep them.
We will discover after six years at the death of the tiger and of Marguerite that there would have been 660 letters exchanged.
These letters are kept at the Bibliotheque Nationale Française. I find in this matter something extremely romantic and romantic
Benoit Deepauthor of “Clemenceau, the twilight of the Tiger”
The author, who took almost 4 years to produce his album, was also inspired by the natural settings of Clémenceau’s house located in Saint-Vincent-sur-Jard in Vendée.
He went there in 2019.
“I have an almost cinematic approach in this story“rapporte Benoit Mély”and I bombarded the places with photos which then inspired me for my work“.
It’s a very touching place, I think. By its simplicity. Clémenceau was a senator, he was twice president of the council. He won a world war. Can you imagine a man of this stature, retiring to a very humble little fishing shack and at the same time which has an incredible charm with this garden by the sea with flowers everywhere And the colors. And the sea.
Benoit Deepauthor of “Clemenceau, the twilight of the Tiger”
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Comics Clemenceau, the twilight of the Tiger was published by Editions Circles in the O
2023-08-16 17:28:01
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