André Gide

He visited Maeterlinck in Ghent, became a regular at Mallarmé’s, and dedicated an early book to Valéry. He met Wilde in Algiers, and went to Berlin with Denis. Rilke, Proust, Jammes and Claudel (a colleague in publishing) were noted correspondents. Klossowski (Rilke’s ward) provided him with erotic stories and became his secretary. Sartre admired his clarity, Milhaud was strongly influenced by him. Capote and Cocteau both came across the aged Gide in Sicily: he told Cocteau he was spoiling the view. Shortly after his death Green received a telegram saying “There is no hell. You can dissipate yourself. Alert Claudel.”