Letters to Camondo

Edmund de Waal inhabits intricate rooms and poignant memories within a Parisian mansion bequeathed to the state by the late Moise de Camondo as he writes a series of imaginary letters to the deceased art collector and banker.

Inspired by his surroundings after installing an exhibition at the Musée Nissim de Camondo, de Waal’s letters are often short, sometimes humorous, and always deeply personal. Within these lines he reveals the history of this Jewish family originally from Constantinople but who relocated to Paris.

I enjoyed the accessibility and imaginative retelling of this complex and sometimes difficult family history through de… show more.

De Waal’s uses his ceramicist’s eye and hand to inscribe between the lines the pain of the Camondo family which was completely eradicated during the Holocaust.

This quiet book took my breath away, and since it is in the form of letters, it means even more to me. On view in this heartbreaking testament are the rage and sadness of a master ceramicist who understands control—that one false move will be enough to destroy the balance of his creation.

De Waal’s book of letters to Moïse marks the trajectory of his family of privilege and generosity to France—the nation they… show more.