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This is adult material. If you are not of legal age to read adult material, bugger off.

Title:Les Lettres
Author: Haleth
Fandoms: Moulin Rouge, Wilde, with a shout out to Velvet Goldmine. And all the pop songs ever written.
Rating: R
Warning: There is angst. But how could there not be?
Disclaimer:Although this fic is based around real events in the life of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, I do not claim any of it is true.  I have used some characters and characterisations from several works. No infringement of rights is intended, and I do not, as usual, make a profit from this. And I adore Baz Luhrmann from head to toe.
Notes: Historical and author’s notes are here.
Betas: To whom I owe a helluva lot, and who have helped at various stages, in various states, and with various parts: Salix Babylon, Elfscribe, Sundew, Second Banana, Blue and Frog. (aka my beta harem. *pervs*) Any and all errors are mine.

One - Truth October 14, 1894
Henri writes to Jane about his trip to London - art, literature, politics, Oscar Wilde and renters...
Two - Beauty October 16, 1894
Henri meets a very special renter at Oscar’s party and is smitten. Utterly.
Three - Freedom April 7, 1895
Henri returns to England to seek the object of his affections - and gets even more than he’d hoped for.
Four - Love July 15, 1895
Henri and Orlando express themselves.

Five - Truth May 26, 1900
Orlando writes to Jane to inform her of Henri’s death, to send her Henri’s letters, and to explain himself.
Six - Beauty June 2, 1900
Orlando tells June about his relationship with Henri.
Seven - Freedom June 10, 1900
Christian and Satine’s romance wasn’t the only tragedy unfolding at the Moulin Rouge
Eight - Love June 22, 2005
Orlando’s true love, Henri’s last days, the last whimper of the Toulouse’s bohemian revolution.

Nine - Truth- May 31, 1900
Christian practices his poetry in a letter to Jane Avril, after his chance meeting with her on the street.
Ten - Beauty August 8, 1900
Christian is smitten, but it seems his hopes may be futile. Or, at the very  least, hasty.
Eleven - Freedom October 16, 1900
Christian is bereaved all over again. Orlando is maddeningly just out of reach. Christian refuses to give up hope, even though he’s lost his muse.
Twelve - Love January 1, 1901
It all works out in the end. Somehow.

Les Lettres Risque At the end of it all, Christican and Orlando come together and make beautiful poetry. and music. And... act totally x-rated.

Notes: I have messed about with the dates to fit the story. I know that. But the dates in the movie Moulin Rouge are absurd, so I don’t feel so bad. I know that Toulouse-Lautrec did not meet Lawrence Binyon until after Oscar Wilde’s arrest, and I know that Charles Zidler left the Moulin Rouge long before any of this happened, I know that Henri Toulouse-Lautrec did not die until September 9, 1901, and I know I’ve taken incidents from the lives of several people and crammed them all together to suit my purposes. That is what fiction is all about.

I am much indebted to David Sweetman’s wonderful book “Explosive Acts”.

Almost all characters are named after or based on real people, except for the ones based on fictional characters from the movies. I in no way assert that I possess any knowledge of the particulars or personalities (or sexual orientations) of these real people. I have used them for dramatic effect.

Christians’ letters are completely fictional, written by moi, and not intended to represent the facts, although it may represent a truth of sorts.  Extra disclaimer and warning: Christian has a tendency to quote from popular songs that will not be written for many many decades, or even a whole century. No copyright infringement is intended, and I urge you, if you do read a snippet of a song you might fancy listening to, please do so in a *cough* legal fashion.

I have tried to capture the spirit of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec as well as I am able. My admiration and respect for his accomplishments, and for his naughty, revolutionary, incessantly creative and cantankerous yet lovable soul is endless. I sincerely hope he would not disapprove.

Also: I was absolutely taken by John Leguizamo’s touching portrayal of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in Moulin Rouge. He’s a terrific actor and I heart him muchly.

And if anyone were to tempt your average guy into homosexuality, I think Orlando’s Rentboy would be at the top of the list.

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