Pense a Pitou

Overview

Marie's nickname for a man she keeps seeing in Paris in May 1874. He is not identified.

Relevance to Marie

On 16 May 1874, after a day of coincidental meetings (Kinsky; Mme Zveguintzoff), she writes: «Je ne parle pas de Pense-à-Pitou qui nous reconnut et nous passa deux fois. I wonder joue-t-il aux Variétés ?» (019.0234). The name «Think-of-Pitou» alludes to Pitou, her pet monkey (PITOU; Mon Journal t.1 and t.2 indexes: «Pitou, singe de Marie»), presumably because the man resembled the monkey. This reading is an inference from the nickname; the diary does not say so. The question whether he acts at the Variétés suggests she had seen him on stage or took him for an actor.

Identity uncertain

We are not sure who this man was. The diary gives only the nickname, one meeting in Paris on 16 May 1874 (he recognised the family and passed them twice) and the guess about the Variétés theatre; no other passage mentions him, and the Mon Journal indexes have no entry for him. If you can identify him, we would be glad to hear from you.

References in Diary

• 1874-05-16 (019.0234)

Sources

Diary 019.0234 and its footnote; Mon Journal t.1–2 indexes for Pitou.