Paul Guérard (1872–1968) remains one of the most intriguing and productive figures in early twentieth-century French fetish literature. Born on 20 June 1872 in Ancy-le-Franc in the Yonne and died in Paris on 11 June 1968 at the age of 95, he worked under a remarkable array of pseudonyms: Roland Brévannes, Don Brennus Aléra, Bernard Valonnes, Jean d’Agérur, Doctor Brennus, Don Brennus de Mellum, Pierrot and others. Between 1903 and 1939 he wrote, illustrated and published around a hundred erotic novels, the great majority devoted to flagellation, female domination, forced feminisation and related themes.
The man behind the many names
What makes Guérard especially interesting is that he was almost certainly not only the principal author but also the publisher of the Select-Bibliothèque. In 1906 he launched this imprint, first in Massy (Seine-et-Oise) and later in Sceaux. The near-anagrammatic relationship between the main author names (Brévannes / Aléra / Valonnes) and the consistency of style, production values and subject matter leave little doubt that a single hand was at work.
Collectors and bibliographers now generally accept that Guérard was the driving force behind the entire enterprise.
The books were issued more openly than many contemporary underground publications. While occasional titles attracted the attention of the authorities, the absence of conventional sexual descriptions often allowed the series to continue with relative freedom for more than three decades.
Themes and signature series
Guérard is best remembered for his long-running series of femdom novels that began with Fred: The True History of a Boy Raised as a Girl (1913). The story of Fred de Montignac, raised by a dominant aunt as a girl named Frédérique, forced into women’s clothing and even subjected to ear-piercing, became a classic of male humiliation and forced cross-dressing. Sequels followed: Frédérique (1921), Frida (1924), Fridoline (1926) and Lina Frido (1927).
Other recurring themes included institutional discipline, leather and boot fetishism, and early explorations of pony play. Le Dressage de la Maid-Esclave (1930) and the later Attelages humains remain particularly notable in this respect. One characteristic line from the latter captures the tone of much of the series:
My whim will be to raise and train you like horses, to harness you to a light carriage in which I take my rides; what do you say to that?
Translated from French
Guérard is also believed to have illustrated many of his own books under the signatures Tack, Esbey, Selby and (for Fridoline) Mati. The combination of text and image gives the Select-Bibliothèque volumes a distinctive visual identity that still appeals to collectors today.
A lasting presence
Unlike some of the more luxurious or heavily clandestine publishers of the interwar years, the Select-Bibliothèque was relatively open and remarkably consistent. Guérard kept going for decades, producing a body of work that occupies its own clear place in the history of French fetish literature.
In recent years Christophe Bier has done a lot to bring him back into view, both through research and by reviving the imprint. For me, Guérard remains one of the quiet but essential names of the period, someone who preferred to stay behind his many pseudonyms, yet left a surprisingly large and coherent mark.
Sources / Further reading
- Bibliothèque nationale de France – notice “Aléra, Don Brennus (1872-1968)”
- Patrick J. Kearney, A Checklist of the Publications of the Select Bibliothèque
- Christophe Bier, L’Obsession du Matto-Grosso (2022) & Interview with Christophe Bier in Télérama
- French Wikipedia, Roland Brévannes
- Spanking Art Wiki, Roland Brévannes
- Paris Olympia Press – Select Bibliothèque archive posts
- Vintage Bdsm Art – Paul Guérard / Roland Brévannes