Manuscrit autographe signé « Habitudes »

Autograph manuscript signed by Octave Mirbeau, 99 lines in black ink on 3 leaves, with manuscript corrections by the author and one correction in blue pencil by a typographer.

Manuscript used for the composition and printing of the article "Habitudes", published on April 20, 1902 in the Journal, a daily newspaper launched in 1892 by Fernand Xau.
The beginning of Mirbeau's career was essentially driven by journalism which allowed him to publish and earn a living despite his lack of inclination for the activity. Quickly feared for his pamphleteering activity, Gustave Mirbeau, distilling a biting irony, stands here against injustice institutionalized by the State and society.
Led by the dense and effective writing of Gustave Mirbeau, this manuscript is probably a final draft as suggested by the conformity of the two texts and the rare corrections made to the original, notably by the blue pencil of a typographer. On the verso of the last leaf is found an earlier version of the first lines of the article.