De l’humour noir
€500.00
This sharp meditation by Breton on black humor appears here as a 1937 Paris pamphlet from GLM, in its first trade edition. Issued with a special wrapper and title page, the text was first printed in the catalogue of the Exposition Internationale de Paris 1937. The copy bears the royal-blue wrapper illustrated by Yves Tanguy. It also includes a reproduction of Breton’s collage assembling the chief «masters of black humor». The typography is remarkably crisp, characteristic of GLM’s workshops. Slim yet pointed, the booklet crystallises a decisive moment in Surrealist theory. A scarce piece with equal literary and bibliophilic appeal.
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Breton, André
Yves Tanguy
De l’humour noir
1937 | Paris | GLM (Guy Lévis-Mano)
A brief, incisive, and graphically elegant Surrealist manifesto. Copies in good condition are distinctly scarce. A choice item for GLM and Breton collections.
This sharp meditation by Breton on black humor appears here as a 1937 Paris pamphlet from GLM, in its first trade edition. Issued with a special wrapper and title page, the text was first printed in the catalogue of the Exposition Internationale de Paris 1937. The copy bears the royal-blue wrapper illustrated by Yves Tanguy. It also includes a reproduction of Breton’s collage assembling the chief «masters of black humor». The typography is remarkably crisp, characteristic of GLM’s workshops. Slim yet pointed, the booklet crystallises a decisive moment in Surrealist theory. A scarce piece with equal literary and bibliophilic appeal.
€500
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Format
In-12 (Duodecimo) approx. 17 × 22 cm
Edition Particulars
Copy from the ordinary issue; the numbered copies were limited to 30.
Paper
papier d’édition
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Product DETAIL
Breton probes the paradoxical allure of humor that fuses cruelty, despair, and lucidity. He defines the «black» domain as a tool for subverting convention and releasing desire. The essay moves between polemic and poetics, adducing examples from literature and modern culture. Black humor is set against moralizing irony, urging a different ethics of reading. In condensed form, the piece serves as a theoretical prelude to Breton’s later work on the subject.
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