Valéry’s personae in the Agar notebook or “masks to match”

Whereas Valéry has often expressed harsh opinions about autobiographical writing, the notebook entitled Agar reveals a rich autobiographical content, but in the guise of fictional characters such as Rachel or Gozon. This article explores this form of veiled self-writing, with both the aim to qualify Valéry’s statements and to underline how these texts illustrate his reluctance to reveal his inner self.