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Letters to Camondo

Letters to Camondo

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  • Create Date：2021-06-07 11:31:17
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Edmund de Waal
  • ISBN：B08KND7X4Z
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Summary

63 rue de Monceau， Paris
Dear friend，
As you may have guessed by now， I am not in your house by accident。 I know your street rather well。

Count Moïse de Camondo lived a few doors away from Edmund de Waal's forebears， the Ephrussi， first encountered in his bestselling memoir The Hare with Amber Eyes。 Like the Ephrussi， the Camondos were part of belle époque high society。 They were also targets of anti-semitism。

Camondo created a spectacular house and filled it with the greatest private collection of French eighteenth-century art for his son to inherit。 But when Nissim was killed in the First World War， it became a memorial and， on the Count's death， was bequeathed to France。

The Musée Nissim de Camondo has remained unchanged since 1936。 Edmund de Waal explores the lavish rooms and detailed archives and uncovers new layers to the family story。 In a haunting series of letters addressed to the Count， he tells us what happened next。

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Reviews

Lynn Feinson ，

Beautiful， poignant novel about the patriarch of a wealthy French family who founded my favorite museum

Jane ，

This is a beautiful book—the actual thing。 It is printed on glossy paper and beautifully illustrated。 It feels weighty in the hand even though it is not a long book。 It tells the story of the Musée Nissim de Camondo， which is both a stately home and the personal collection of mainly 18th C。 European artwork。 It is a very personal collection， assembled and presented painstakingly by Moise de Camondo。It is also the story of wealthy， assimilated， cultivated and civic-minded Jews。 Upon his death， Mo This is a beautiful book—the actual thing。 It is printed on glossy paper and beautifully illustrated。 It feels weighty in the hand even though it is not a long book。 It tells the story of the Musée Nissim de Camondo， which is both a stately home and the personal collection of mainly 18th C。 European artwork。 It is a very personal collection， assembled and presented painstakingly by Moise de Camondo。It is also the story of wealthy， assimilated， cultivated and civic-minded Jews。 Upon his death， Moise named the museum for his son， Nissim， killed in WWI， and donated it to the French state。 That was the mid-30’s。 Subsequently， WW2， Vichy， deportations， the ugly efflorescence of anti-Sémitism throughout Europe。 The remainder of the de Camondo family was killed by the Nazis。 I’m not sure how the museum survived but it did and it is a beautiful and hallowed place。 I can’t wait to visit it again。The only thing that I did not like was the structuring of the book as a series of letters from the author to Moise， and the heavy use if the second person whichI find clunky and distracting。 The letter format was justified because de Waal is a descendant of the Ephrussi family， another wealthy， cosmopolitan banking family who suffered similar depredations at the hands of the Nazis。 So de Waal was leaning on this connection which is interesting but was an impediment to my enjoyment。 。。。more

Steve ，

This is my first de Waal book， but it won't be my last （the other 2 are on order already）。 A lot of the books I buy go to a TBR pile， and sit there for some time before I （hopefully） finally get to them。 This arrived Sunday， and I had finished this short tome Tuesday night。 de Waal is a highly regarded potter， whose porcelain works are often presented as multiple， rather than lone， items。He writes about family， and decorative arts， and history。 Particularly the Jewish side of his family， and the This is my first de Waal book， but it won't be my last （the other 2 are on order already）。 A lot of the books I buy go to a TBR pile， and sit there for some time before I （hopefully） finally get to them。 This arrived Sunday， and I had finished this short tome Tuesday night。 de Waal is a highly regarded potter， whose porcelain works are often presented as multiple， rather than lone， items。He writes about family， and decorative arts， and history。 Particularly the Jewish side of his family， and their porcelain collection。Here we have a short book， in letters， about the family， house and arts collection of Count Moise de Camondo。 A family of Leventine Jews who relocated to Paris in the late 19th Century。 It is also a valuable introduction to the history of anti-Semitism in France。 de Waal presents us with multiple examples of how the family tried to integrate into French society （organizations， money， his son's life - even his own house， to be used as a museum after his death！）， but were never found to be "French" enough。 One issue I do have - money is never discussed。 Where it came from， or how it continued to be earned。 In one excerpt from a newspaper， the Count is referred to as "a sportsman and collector" （he loved his horses， and hunting）。 If he ever was active in business， we are not told。 Or who did manage the wealth， if he didn't himself。 The last third of the book is plainly presented by date and event and fact regarding the demise of the family （and all other Jews） under the Nazi regime in France。 He calls what happens to this family （who lived near his own mother's family， and who were distantly related as well - he jokes about how convoluted a Family Tree - which is included in his "The Hare With Amber Eyes" - would be， especially if it included lovers and mistresses！） what it was。 They did not "pass" or "die" - they were murdered in the Holocaust。One of the last chapters （nearly all the letters are only 1-3 pp long） traces the ownership of a Renoir portrait of one of the young girls in 1880。 Ironically， Goering owned this beautiful portrait of a young， Jewish girl at one point！ The physical book itself is wonderful in-hand。 FSG did a great job。 Thick， glossy pages - signatures sewn in。 Well illustrated。 Further Reading， Notes， and identification of the illustrations。 There are some untranslated excerpts in French， but even with no background in Romance languages， most readers （including myself） will be able to make sense of them。 The use of letters to present this story works well。 He skips about a bit， but in the end it is a chronological presentation。 About decorative arts， family， France， and anti-Semitism in Europe。 Well， worth a read - quietly sad。 。。。more

Ian Lea ，

High expectations not really met。 Not bad at all but it's not Amber Eyes。 High expectations not really met。 Not bad at all but it's not Amber Eyes。 。。。more

Elyse Walters ，

Having thoroughly enjoyed “The Hare With Amber Eyes”， I knew I was interested in reading “Letters to Camondo”。Moise de Camondo （1860-1935）， was born in Istanbul， the only son of Nissim de Camondo and Elise Fernandez。His Family moved to France when he was a nine-year-old boy。He grew up working for his family bank with his cousin Isaac。 （who died in 1911）。 Several years later Moise de Camondo closed the bank down。In 1891 he married Irene Cahen d’ Anvers， daughter of a banker。 They had two children Having thoroughly enjoyed “The Hare With Amber Eyes”， I knew I was interested in reading “Letters to Camondo”。Moise de Camondo （1860-1935）， was born in Istanbul， the only son of Nissim de Camondo and Elise Fernandez。His Family moved to France when he was a nine-year-old boy。He grew up working for his family bank with his cousin Isaac。 （who died in 1911）。 Several years later Moise de Camondo closed the bank down。In 1891 he married Irene Cahen d’ Anvers， daughter of a banker。 They had two children: Nissim and Beatrice。 When the marriage didn’t last， （separated， then divorced）， The children were left in Moise’s care。 They lived in a mansion on rue Hamelin in the 16th arrondissement before moving to rue de Monceau in 1913。Moise de Camondo was a private person， known as an extremely elegant gentleman and a keen sportsman。 （yachting his own boat， a horseman， practiced shooting， and above all he was a collector with a passion for the 18th century）。 His son， Nissim， was killed in an air battle in 1917。。。。。。（a devastating loss）。。。。The mansion rarely came to life after the war。 Visitors tended to be close friends， but scholars and antique lovers visited as well。 After the death of Nissim， Moise de Camondo devoted his mansion and collection to the memory of a son son。 On 20 January 1924， in the‘Instructions and advice for the curators of the Musee Nissan de Comondo’， you write: “I wish my museum to be admirably maintained and kept meticulously clean。 The task is not an easy one， even with the first-class staff， of whom there must be a sufficient number for this job; but the work is made easier buy a complete vacuum cleaning system which works cheaply and marvelously well。 Due to its powerful operation， this method of cleaning should not be used for antique carpets， tapestries and silks but is this of great benefit”。 During World War II his daughter Beatrice， married Leon Bertand。 “Monseieur，” “Your daughter Beatrice marries Leon Reinach on 10 March 1919 in the temple and this is a truly happy day。 You write that your mind is at ease”。 Leon Reinach was a young man of great culture， a serious musician who studied at the Paris conservatory and a lover of poetry。 He was absurdly rich， even by Camondo standards。 Leon and Beatrice were the same age and knew each other their entire lives。 They both mourned Nissim。 The young couple began their married life in 63 rue de Monceau。 Later we learn how Beatrice tried to make conversion work， while her husband Leon tried to make divorce work。 The sad news is they both were murdered in Auschwitz。 This book is really beautiful — not as flamboyant in storytelling as “The Hare With Amber Eyes”。。。。 it’s written completely different。 But I liked reading the imaginary letters written to Moise de Camondo…。 （fifty letters）。 We learn of this beautiful man， a philanthropist， his family， his house， his art collections， his high society life， anti-Semitism， Jewish identity， and the history of the times。 Because the Camondo family had no other offspring， The mansion was transferred to the French government， which converted it into a museum after Moises’s son Nissim。 Since then the mansion hasRemained exactly the same，… as a frozen in time。 Around 50% into this book。。。。I started to feel sad: it wasn’t full blown sad， yet。 The deeper sadness was felt at the end— due to the tragedy of Camondo’ s murdered by the Nazis。 There were gorgeous descriptions of the property， the house — and the many people who visited: family， cousins， close friends， politicians， writers， scholars， musicians， and artists。。。but through the letter writing — after Nissim died。。。。a part of Moise de Camondo died too。A sample letter:Cher Monsieur， “I thanks there is a tendency to imagine you alone in this house。 Happiness of a collector， happiness of the solitary: tête-à-tête with things， wrote Walter Benjamin with some kindness to the condition and one of his terse notes in ‘The Arcades Project’”。 “And I know you must have been alone as you are long divorced and your son Nissim dies in the First World War and your daughter Beatrice marries and moves away”。 “This is a house full of people。 There are fourteen servants — butler， under-butler， a couple of man-servants， footman， chef， chef’s assistant， odd-job man， laundry maid， Gardner， a Stoker for the boiler， a couple of mechanics for the cars — but aloneness and living with servants isn’t incompatible I believe。 And you entertain， of course”。 “As I walk through these rooms with your cabinets and bronzers and marble sculptures and tapestries and gilded candelabra， I think of all those craftsman talking to each other” “Your house is full of noise” 。。。。。。and sadness。 “You do a very good job of morning， Monsieur， and I commend you”。 It was still a quiet treasure to read about the house - the library …the books 。。。 the bookcases 。。。。 etc。 the beauty that was created。。。the love it was built with。 “But melancholia is the extraordinary prolongation， the refusal to give up。 It takes you off to detours and delays。 It makes me think of Proust and his page proofs: paragraphs inserted， phrases， the fear of ending it。 And I think you cannot give up your loss， cannot lose loss， cannot stop moving objects， adding， rag-picking” “I think this is truly melancholic。 Not because of what happened next。 Sadness isn’t melancholic”。 ”I can’t stop either”。 Edmund de Waal’s compassion， dedication， and prose — of the history， and the memories of Moise de Camondo were fascinating and moving。 。。。more

Legiwov640 ，

I'am made $84， 8254 so far this year working online and I'm a full time student。 Im using an online business。 Here what I do，。for more information simply open this link thank you。。。。。。。。。。http://cash。work45。com I'am made $84， 8254 so far this year working online and I'm a full time student。 Im using an online business。 Here what I do，。for more information simply open this link thank you。。。。。。。。。。http://cash。work45。com 。。。more

Jola ，

Review to come。

Ilse Hendrickx ，

Prachtig， ontroerend， meeslepend en verbazend。

Susan Rothenberg ，

A book of letters from De Waal to Moise de Camondo， a neighbor of de Waal and art collector living in a wonderful home who turns his home into an art museum。 The letters tell the story of the collecting and establishing the museum， but in real life weren't really sent， although they feel real。 A book of letters from De Waal to Moise de Camondo， a neighbor of de Waal and art collector living in a wonderful home who turns his home into an art museum。 The letters tell the story of the collecting and establishing the museum， but in real life weren't really sent， although they feel real。 。。。more

Top 5 Packers and Movers in India ，

Great Book

Robert ，

A Tour de Force。 Very original and beautiful that placed me in a zen state and quite evocative and atmospheric。 He is quite the Renaissance man as his writing is as beautiful as his art。

Peggy Walt ，

Absolutely loved this gorgeous new book by Edmund de Waal。 It is so beautifully revealed and the storytelling is lovely and devastating。

Rebecca ，

What is it to leave something， leave someone？ You want to come in and sit and be near。 The space holds the chance that they have not gone。

Nene La Beet ，

A super wealthy Jewish family comes from Constantinople and makes Paris their home。 They are naturalized （a huge thing in France where antisemitism was everywhere）， and we follow how the son purges the family home of Russian and Jewish heirlooms because he wants to be FRENCH。 When his son， third generation of Camondos， falls for France in 2016， the father turns the house into a museum for his dead son and bequeaths it to France upon his death。 He dies early enough to avoid being interned by the A super wealthy Jewish family comes from Constantinople and makes Paris their home。 They are naturalized （a huge thing in France where antisemitism was everywhere）， and we follow how the son purges the family home of Russian and Jewish heirlooms because he wants to be FRENCH。 When his son， third generation of Camondos， falls for France in 2016， the father turns the house into a museum for his dead son and bequeaths it to France upon his death。 He dies early enough to avoid being interned by the Vichy government， but the rest of his family all perish in the concentration camps。In parallel to this sad story we hear about the art and antiques they collect。 For instance， we follow two portraits by Renoir as they are robbed from the Camondos and make the rounds among Vichy traitors and German art collectors。 Along the way， the fact that the young girls in the portraits were Jewish， is conveniently forgotten。Why not five stars？ Because it didn't quite hit the mark in so far as the art it describes – the way its predecessor The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss did。 Also， I never really became friendly with the literary form， letters to the dead count。 That said， the book grows and grows as you read through it。 To begin with it seems a somewhat superficial admiration of a very rich man and his art， but as the book progresses， it becomes clear that the museum and all the precious pieces inside it are just pretexts for talking about the real issues。 We attach feelings to things – not least artworks， which the book Hooked: Art and Attachment that i just read – explains in great and riveting detail。I can hear people around me saying， yes， but what about all the dead jews who weren't rich and didn't leave an art collection behind。 Well， this story is also about them， which you would know if you read it。 Just like Anne Frank's diary has meant the world for our understanding of the destiny of a Jewish family before and during WWII， people like the count with his meticulous notes on everything， preserved for posterity in his library together with all the beautiful things， tell the story of the countless people who didn't leave anything behind or whose possessions were lost。 。。。more

Ruth Brumby ，

Ideas about collecting， dispersal， memory， assimilation， identity。。。。。 Beautifully written and carefully honest book， showing how things and still lives carry meaning。

Deloris Mccosh ，

Beautifully writtende Waal’s ethereal descriptions of things material is extraordinary。 This contrasts so starkly with his writing of mankind’s ability to follow hate。 It leaves me once again ashamed of this side of our nature。

Elaine ，

I struggled between a four and a five， because this book is nowhere near as great as Hare with the Amber Eyes， but it doesn’t try to be。 It is a companion piece - another journey into the decorative arts of yesterday and the complex family trees of Europe’s briefly shining Jewish dynasties。 As before， DeWaal succeeds in making me care about the first half of that equation when I didn’t think he would， and the poignancy of the second - of the failed dream of Jewish assimilation through the arts a I struggled between a four and a five， because this book is nowhere near as great as Hare with the Amber Eyes， but it doesn’t try to be。 It is a companion piece - another journey into the decorative arts of yesterday and the complex family trees of Europe’s briefly shining Jewish dynasties。 As before， DeWaal succeeds in making me care about the first half of that equation when I didn’t think he would， and the poignancy of the second - of the failed dream of Jewish assimilation through the arts and philanthropy - is just as powerful here。 Indeed， while the book starts out seeming like quirky epistolary essays about a wealthy man and his perfectly assembled house that looks born to be a museum， and you settle in for ruminations on archives and art， this is a deceptive calm before the storm。 It doesn’t take long to understand that these meditations on memory and remembrance， permanence and ephemera， are leading us to the horrific tale of anti-Semitism in France， a tale （De Waal is emphatic in stressing） that began before the Nazis and needed little encouragement from them to reach its full brutal flowering during World War II。 If Hare with the Amber Eyes shows us Nazi pillages in Vienna - well， that’s a story that never stops hurting but is at least expected， Letters to Camondo collects the receipts to remind us of another face of France， a place as beloved to me as it was to Camondo。 It’s painful and the book’s final chapters will haunt me for a long time。 A note on format: I started this on my Kindle - what a huge mistake。 The copious illustrations are a big part of this book。 I finished on my iPad which allowed me to see the pictures in full color and to enlarge them。 I imagine the hard copy is beautiful。 Do not Kindle or audiobook！ 。。。more

Jenna ，

Elegant and moving。

Sam ，

Another exquisite piece of writing by De Waal。

James Beggarly ，

Thanks to Netgalley and FSG for the ebook。 When the author， an artist， was making an exhibit at Musee Nissim de Campondo， he decided to write a series of letters across time to Moise de Campondo regarding the house， the extraordinary art he collected that is now on view。 This house， and a series of houses nearby， are great houses built by Jewish families that have come from all over， including Constantinople， where Moise was born， and the Ukraine， where the author’s family comes from （these two Thanks to Netgalley and FSG for the ebook。 When the author， an artist， was making an exhibit at Musee Nissim de Campondo， he decided to write a series of letters across time to Moise de Campondo regarding the house， the extraordinary art he collected that is now on view。 This house， and a series of houses nearby， are great houses built by Jewish families that have come from all over， including Constantinople， where Moise was born， and the Ukraine， where the author’s family comes from （these two families will marry， making the letters that much more personal）。 And in this corner of Paris， these families amass great wealth， collect the great art of the day and give back to France in a number of ways。 Suffering from some antisemitism， the families still felt that they had found a new home for themselves， until the Second World War comes and shatters everything。 And yet this museum remains and it， and this particular family history， haunts the author。 。。。more

Kalliope ，

This will probably remain as one of my most relished reads of this year and I have had to read it twice。 The subject fascinated me， emigrated Jewish families who sought to belong to what seemed a welcoming nation by supporting the arts and knowledge - Western。 Reading it was a way of paying homage to the unfortunate Camondo family。 And Edmund de Waal’s style felt as soothing as drinking a lightly scented tea in peaceful surroundings。 Reading it twice was also appropriate since I got two copies。 This will probably remain as one of my most relished reads of this year and I have had to read it twice。 The subject fascinated me， emigrated Jewish families who sought to belong to what seemed a welcoming nation by supporting the arts and knowledge - Western。 Reading it was a way of paying homage to the unfortunate Camondo family。 And Edmund de Waal’s style felt as soothing as drinking a lightly scented tea in peaceful surroundings。 Reading it twice was also appropriate since I got two copies。 When I saw it promoted， I had the hunch that the bookshop in whose Subscription formula I am inscribed， would select this as my April book。 When I received another item instead， I went and ordered it from Blackwell’s since they were offering signed copies。 I promptly began reading it when it made it into my mailbox。 But then my hunch proved right， and I received what became my second copy for the May selection in my Subscription。 In the past I enjoyed The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss and years later I received an invitation from Ivory Press to attend the presentation of De Waal’s exhibition “Breath” in Ivory Press （view spoiler）[ which belongs to Elena Ochoa and Norman Foster。https://www。ivorypress。com/en/art/bre。。。 （hide spoiler）]。 In a way this collection of fictional letters to Moïse Camondo （1860-1935） are a sequel to his Amber book。 De Waal has shifted his attention from number 81 in Rue Monceau to 63。 The two families were remotely related and one lady in the Camondo trunk， Louise Cahen d’Anvers （née Bischoffsheim） was the lover of Charles Ephrussi （attention， Proustians！） for fifteen years。 In these fictional， elegiac， letters， Sebald’s tone （and this author is mentioned） rings in the back of one head， to the point that it made me want to visit Sebald’s pages again。 Engaging in these letters means engaging with the art world in Paris at the end of the 19thCentury。 Thanks to Charles Ephrussi， Renoir painted Louise’s daughters: first Irène and then Alice and Elizabeth。 Louise was not too impressed however， since the one with the two girls hung in the maid’s room。 It is now in the Sao Paulo Museum of Fine Arts， with that of Irène is in the Bührle Foundation in Zurich。 And not only contemporary art engaged the Camondos and their circles。 During this time a fair amount of 18thCentury art works that had been housed in the chateaux of the nobility were ransacked during the Revolutionary times， and found their way to the various showrooms of （Jewish – Seligmann’s， Duveen， Maison Carlhian） art dealers， and ended up in various hôtels in the Rue Monceau as well as in Mansions along the NY 5th Avenue。 Other precious objects were put on sale at about this time; Moïse bought from the Russian government a silver service that used to belong to Catherine the Great and had been made by Jacques Nicolas Roettiers。 As could be expected， Moïse was not the only serious collector。 His cousin Isaac left his huge art collection to the Louvre – 107 pages of catalogue listings – amongst which were seven Manet paintings and fourteen Monets。 But all these art and culture activities that enriched France， （view spoiler）[ Moïse was a contributor when in 1920 the Amis du Louvre raised funding for the purchase of Courbet’s 1855 L’Atelier du Peintre） （hide spoiler）]， leave the reader with a sour taste。 For they are， after all， records of the Camondo’s desire to belong。 In one of the schoolbooks De Waal finds the note “I belong here”。 As Sephardic Jews they were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula and established themselves in the Ottoman Empire。 They did well， since most of the Galata quarter in Constantinople belonged to them。 A sign of their previous presence is still left in that Istanbul quartier， the Camondo stairs， beautifully photographed by Cartier-Bresson。 They found their way to France via Italy during the second half of the 19thCentury establishing themselves in that Rue Monceau that first acquired a comfortable Jewish tone （the Cattavis at 55， the Reinach， the Rothschilds， and even Theodor Herzl at number 8） but which then became a Jewish hell since both the Haut Commisariat géneral aux questions juives was at number 43， and the HQ of the Milice （a facist paramilitary force） was established at 63 – uncle Abraham-Behor’s house。 Moïse’s family did not survive。 His son Nissim gave his life for the country that had adopted his family。 His plane was shot down in September 1917。 De Waal includes Proust’s letter of condolence to Moïse。 His daughter Béatrice， her husband Léon Reinach and their two children Fanny and Bertrand were taken to Germany in 1942。["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]> 。。。more

Cristina ，

J ai lu ce livre en français。 J ai aimé découvrir la vie de Moise De Camoondo et de ces juifs - camp do， ephrussi， rotchild， lazare。 Pereire， qui ont légué des œuvres artistiques merveilleuses à la France。 Je l ai trouvé très poétique - trop à mon goût car un peu lent。 L édition est superbe avec des photos。 Un très beau livre - pas trop mon style d ou les 3 étoiles

Jill Shaw Ruddock ，

It's a stunningly written tragic story to Camondo， to whom de Waal feels a deep connection。 It is through 58 imaginary letters to Camondo that De Waal tells the story of the man’s life and death， his house， his collections， his world and what became of it。 This new book features several of the people and his journey that we first encountered in Hare with the Amber EyesI think the 2021 book world will be defined by those who have read Letters to Camondo and those who have not It's a stunningly written tragic story to Camondo， to whom de Waal feels a deep connection。 It is through 58 imaginary letters to Camondo that De Waal tells the story of the man’s life and death， his house， his collections， his world and what became of it。 This new book features several of the people and his journey that we first encountered in Hare with the Amber EyesI think the 2021 book world will be defined by those who have read Letters to Camondo and those who have not 。。。more

Mikaela Bichara ，

Author’s way of storytelling is so good， I suggest you join NovelStar’s writing competition， you might be their next big star。tttttttttttt

Paul ，

A strange postscript to the brilliant: Hare With the Amber Eyes。The book feels somehow rushed。 Some quotes are in French， others are not; one quote begins in French and then， after an interruption， finishes in English。At one point， de Waal says that a particular recipe mentioned by de Camondo is almost certainly written about in Proust， but to look it up would be ‘taking research too far。’ This is obviously a ‘funny’ line but it does leave you wondering what this book really is？ It occupies the A strange postscript to the brilliant: Hare With the Amber Eyes。The book feels somehow rushed。 Some quotes are in French， others are not; one quote begins in French and then， after an interruption， finishes in English。At one point， de Waal says that a particular recipe mentioned by de Camondo is almost certainly written about in Proust， but to look it up would be ‘taking research too far。’ This is obviously a ‘funny’ line but it does leave you wondering what this book really is？ It occupies the point between memoir and historical project， and is successful on neither count。 Endless lists， and occasional ‘profound’ sentences give us little in the way of historical or personal revelation。 The book is made up of letters to a man who is long dead。 This gives de Waal a platform to deploy writing of a particular kind。 If， for example， he has written a letter about de Camondo’s living room he will invariably end the correspondence with something like:‘I see， Monsieur， that you are fond of candlesticks。 I too like candlesticks。 I wonder if you ever held a candlestick in your hands and twisted it about， looking for blemishes？ After all， what is a candlestick but a place for light to brighten the darkness？’After a while， one really does want to say: oh Edmund， do stop it。 。。。more

Cavallari ，

This book is exquisite， it is so delicate yet full of the melancholy you can feel within the walls of the Museum Nissim de Camondo， my favorite place in Paris。 Between the lines of the book you can feel the loneliness of Monsieur Moise， the silence of his Hotel， his steps in the cruel silence surrounding him， the heaviness of his sadness。 I am grateful the author addressed his letters to Monsieur Moise， I also imagine to talk with him when I’m visiting his house， we must be grateful for his lega This book is exquisite， it is so delicate yet full of the melancholy you can feel within the walls of the Museum Nissim de Camondo， my favorite place in Paris。 Between the lines of the book you can feel the loneliness of Monsieur Moise， the silence of his Hotel， his steps in the cruel silence surrounding him， the heaviness of his sadness。 I am grateful the author addressed his letters to Monsieur Moise， I also imagine to talk with him when I’m visiting his house， we must be grateful for his legacy and for what he and his family have done for us especially because life wasn’t kind with none of them。 The photos included in the book are pearls。 I strongly suggest you visit the Museum if you have the chance， it is and experience itself， a living testament。 。。。more

Mandy ，

At 63 rue de Monceau lies the Musée de Nissim de Camondo， originally the home of Jewish art collector Moise de Camondo， who left the house and its priceless collection to France after his death in memory of his son who had been killed in WW！。 In spite of this generous gift， the Camondo family， as well as many other wealthy Jewish collectors， were betrayed by the nation that they felt they belonged to and many of them perished in the Holocaust。 Edmond de Waal’s own family were caught up in this b At 63 rue de Monceau lies the Musée de Nissim de Camondo， originally the home of Jewish art collector Moise de Camondo， who left the house and its priceless collection to France after his death in memory of his son who had been killed in WW！。 In spite of this generous gift， the Camondo family， as well as many other wealthy Jewish collectors， were betrayed by the nation that they felt they belonged to and many of them perished in the Holocaust。 Edmond de Waal’s own family were caught up in this betrayal and he has written previously about this in his book The Hare with Amber Eyes。 In this his latest book he writes a series of letters to Moise de Camondo， a result of his research into the house， the family and the collection during which he found himself frequently talking aloud to Moise。 It’s a tragic story and de Waal’s book is a moving tribute to Camondo， to whom he feels a deep connection。 It’s a delightful read， full of wonderful illustrations， and a compelling insight into the family’s world and the lost world of Jewish art collecting。 。。。more

Catherine Jeffrey ，

A beautiful book to read and to handle。 The choice of illustrations were a perfect accompaniment to the text。

T P Kennedy ，

An excellent book。 It's a little like a sequel to the hare with the amber eyes。 The framing device of letters to the Count while moving through his house is very effective。 It draws you in。 At first it seems like an innocent consideration of art and fin de siecle Paris but it becomes apparent it's about so much more。 He considers the place of this family in French society and then follows their fates in World War II。 Having learned so much about them， the spare account of their murders has all t An excellent book。 It's a little like a sequel to the hare with the amber eyes。 The framing device of letters to the Count while moving through his house is very effective。 It draws you in。 At first it seems like an innocent consideration of art and fin de siecle Paris but it becomes apparent it's about so much more。 He considers the place of this family in French society and then follows their fates in World War II。 Having learned so much about them， the spare account of their murders has all the greater impact。 A super read。 。。。more

Arjen Taselaar ，

Beautiful book by Edmund de Waal on the Musée Nissim de Camondo， which opened in Paris a year after its owner， Count Moïse de Camondo， died， in 1936。 Camondo was a banker and art collector， and belonged to a Jewish family from Constantinople who had becomes French。 Like many French Jews of comparable social status - who often intermarried - Camondo believed in assimilation。 The art collection now contained in his museum reflects this by focusing on 18th century French decorative art。 Camondo don Beautiful book by Edmund de Waal on the Musée Nissim de Camondo， which opened in Paris a year after its owner， Count Moïse de Camondo， died， in 1936。 Camondo was a banker and art collector， and belonged to a Jewish family from Constantinople who had becomes French。 Like many French Jews of comparable social status - who often intermarried - Camondo believed in assimilation。 The art collection now contained in his museum reflects this by focusing on 18th century French decorative art。 Camondo donated his house and collection to the state。 Some years later， that same state collaborated with the Nazis in arresting the remaining Camondo family members。 They were murdered at Auschwitz。 De Waal has structured his book as a series of letters， which address topics as collecting， belonging， blending in， dispersal， destruction， and memory。 This small， careful， beautiful， poignant and unsettling book will long resonate and require rethinking and rereading。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Letters to Camondo

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Letters to Camondo&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Letters to Camondo&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0