Bristol manuscrit adressé à son grand ami le journaliste bruxellois, grand ami et biographe de Georges Brassens, André Tillieu

Manuscript letter on headed paper of 17 lines by Alphonse Boudard, from his home at 11 rue Henri Monnier in the ninth arrondissement of Paris, to his great friend and companion of well-watered lunches, the Brussels journalist André Tillieu who was, like Alphonse Boudard, a great friend of Georges Brassens but also of Jean Giono.
A date, 5 X 95, and the mention "Mourir d'enfance", written in pencil by André Tillieu, on the letter. Envelope included.
"Cher André,
bien reçu ton article qui est comme d'habitude chaleureux et remarquable à tous égards. Tu y dis toujours des choses qui me vont droit au coeur. La carrière du livre se poursuit au mieux, mais les temps sont durs partout et la librairie en a pris un coup. On attend le miracle Chirac ou Dudule, c'est encore plus improbable que celui de la Vierge Marie. Avec toute ma vieille amitié. Aboudard." ["Dear André,
I received your article which is as usual warm and remarkable in all respects. You always say things in it that go straight to my heart. The book's career continues at its best, but times are hard everywhere and the book trade has taken a hit. We're waiting for the Chirac or Dudule miracle, it's even more improbable than that of the Virgin Mary. With all my old friendship. Aboudard."]
André Tillieu from Brussels, very close friend and biographer of Georges Brassens, maintained an epistolary correspondence with Alphonse Boudard for almost thirty years, from 1972 until the latter's death in 2000.
The witty Parisian writer quickly showed him his friendship, considering him as one of the rare critics to understand him perfectly to the point of clearly explaining in his chronicles what he himself expressed only incompletely and sometimes confusedly in his books.
André Tillieu then became part of the small circle of Alphonse Boudard's true friends on the same level as le Gros Georges (Georges Brassens), le Niçois (Louis Nucéra) and René Fallet with whom he liked to share hearty well-watered meals and cycling trips. As death gradually took away his best friends one by one, André Tillieu remained one of Alphonse's very last pals.