The French autograph

National Library of Belarus has a unique collection of editions autographed by the eminent representatives of French culture, literature and art and political and public figures of the ХIХ – the first third of the ХХ centuries. Thanks to author signatures the book becomes a unique monument, a laconic message from the past that reveals the events, personalities and fates of the epoch.

Every book and every autograph have their own history. Sometimes an inscription on a book concerns the crucial historical events and the people involved in them and contains information which is very useful for understanding the author’s course of life and creative development. There are different kinds of autographs: dedicatory inscriptions, declarations of friendship, inscriptions-greetings, inscriptions-memoirs, philosophical reflections, expression of the author’s attitude towards people, time, history etc.

The exhibition presents autographs of French writers Emile Zola, Anatole France, Romain Rolland, Paul Fort; artists Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Jean Eiffel; politicians Leon Blum, Georges Clemenceau, Paul Doumer and others.