Capitale de la douleur
€3,700.00
Capitale de la douleur by Paul Éluard, published in 1926, is a cornerstone of French Surrealism. It brings together poems that Éluard had previously published in journals and cemented his reputation as one of the 20th century's most influential poets. The collection is widely considered a pinnacle of the poetry of its time, marked by a profound exploration of love, loss, and the power of the imagination. This copy is exceptional due to the two-page handwritten dedication in verse by Éluard to the Belgian cultural figure Georges Vriamont. This unique addition elevates the book from a standard first edition to a literary document of great historical and artistic value. It bears witness to the personal, intimate ties that linked the French and Belgian avant-gardes. The dedication, a miniature poem in its own right, is a rare and unpublished fragment of Éluard's work that offers insight into his creative process and his personal relationships. It is a tangible piece of evidence of the dynamic, cross-border networks that The Hidden Page documents, offering a unique glimpse into the relationship between poetry and friendship at the heart of the Surrealist movement. This is not just a book, but an artifact that captures the cultural and literary landscape of the avant-garde.
Quantity
Éluard, Paul
ILLUSTRATORS
ILLUSTRATORS
ILLUSTRATORS
Capitale de la douleur
1926 | Parijs | Gallimard
This copy of Capitale de la douleur with an unpublished and unique autograph poem is a rare and crucial document for the study of Surrealism and the international networks of the avant-garde.
Capitale de la douleur by Paul Éluard, published in 1926, is a cornerstone of French Surrealism. It brings together poems that Éluard had previously published in journals and cemented his reputation as one of the 20th century's most influential poets. The collection is widely considered a pinnacle of the poetry of its time, marked by a profound exploration of love, loss, and the power of the imagination. This copy is exceptional due to the two-page handwritten dedication in verse by Éluard to the Belgian cultural figure Georges Vriamont. This unique addition elevates the book from a standard first edition to a literary document of great historical and artistic value. It bears witness to the personal, intimate ties that linked the French and Belgian avant-gardes. The dedication, a miniature poem in its own right, is a rare and unpublished fragment of Éluard's work that offers insight into his creative process and his personal relationships. It is a tangible piece of evidence of the dynamic, cross-border networks that The Hidden Page documents, offering a unique glimpse into the relationship between poetry and friendship at the heart of the Surrealist movement. This is not just a book, but an artifact that captures the cultural and literary landscape of the avant-garde.
€3,700
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References & Bibliography
Format
In-12 (Duodecimo) approx. 17 × 22 cm
Edition Particulars
Copy on Lafuma pure wove paper.
Print Run
1003
Paper
Vélin pur fil Lafuma
Inscription
Signed by the Author
1
Edition Particulars:
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Product DETAIL
The work is a collection of earlier poems that Éluard had published in journals and is considered his most influential poetry collection. The poems in the book focus on exploring the themes of love, grief, and the surrealist imagination. Éluard's poetic language is suggestive, free from traditional structures, and uses dream logic and associative leaps to reveal the poet's inner world. The collection also includes a selection of texts from earlier works such as 'Répétitions' and 'Les petits justes', which shows the evolution of his style. These poems are a quest for a new, subversive language capable of transforming reality, a central idea within Surrealism. They reflect Éluard's fascination with human desire, the unconscious mind, and the connection between love and the creative act.
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La Liberté ou l'Amour ! by Robert Desnos is a monument of Surrealist literature, presented here in an exceptional binding by master bookbinder Jean de Gonet. This 1927 edition contains the full text, including the notorious passages censored at the time. The work is a feverish exploration of eroticism and freedom, written in the automatic style that Desnos perfected. The combination of Desnos's rebellious text and De Gonet's industrial, architectural aesthetic makes this copy a unique collector's item. Furthermore, it bears the signature of Czech artist Adolf Hoffmeister, adding to its historical significance. For the bibliophile, this book represents the perfect symbiosis between avant-garde literature and innovative bookbinding art. With its dreamlike logic, unsettling eroticism, and atmosphere of veiled desire, this book can evoke Stanley Kubrick’s film Eyes Wide Shut
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