Le Théâtre et son double, Collection “Métamorphoses”, IV
With Le Théâtre et son double, Antonin Artaud shaped one of the most consequential theatrical manifestos of the twentieth century. The book appeared in 1938 from Gallimard / NRF as the fourth volume in the Collection “Métamorphoses”. In this first edition, theatre is no longer treated as literary interpretation, but as a physical, ritual and destabilising force. Artaud’s thought on voice, gesture, cruelty, myth and presence would profoundly influence post-war avant-garde theatre, experimental performance and performance art. The modest petit in-8 format sharply contrasts with the radical force of the ideas it contains. The edition was limited to 400 copies, issued as a single printing on papier de châtaignier.
Quantity
Artaud, Antonin
Le Théâtre et son double, Collection “Métamorphoses”, IV
1938 | Paris | Gallimard (NRF)
This first edition of Le Théâtre et son double is a key object for understanding the twentieth-century avant-garde through the book. Its limited print run and single paper issue make it bibliographically as well as intellectually desirable.
With Le Théâtre et son double, Antonin Artaud shaped one of the most consequential theatrical manifestos of the twentieth century. The book appeared in 1938 from Gallimard / NRF as the fourth volume in the Collection “Métamorphoses”. In this first edition, theatre is no longer treated as literary interpretation, but as a physical, ritual and destabilising force. Artaud’s thought on voice, gesture, cruelty, myth and presence would profoundly influence post-war avant-garde theatre, experimental performance and performance art. The modest petit in-8 format sharply contrasts with the radical force of the ideas it contains. The edition was limited to 400 copies, issued as a single printing on papier de châtaignier.
€550
Condition Report:
In-Depth Study
References & Bibliography
Format
In-8 (Octavo) approx. 20 × 26 cm
Edition Particulars
One of 400 copies on papier de châtaignier, single printing.
Print Run
400
Paper
papier de châtaignier
Inscription
No inscription
Product DETAIL
Le Théâtre et son double gathers Artaud’s central reflections on the future of theatre. Its argument opposes a stage subordinated to text, psychology and bourgeois representation. Across the essays, Artaud develops the idea of a theatre that strikes the spectator physically, as plague, ritual or dream might do. He discusses Balinese theatre, myth, gesture, sound and the celebrated concept of the Theatre of Cruelty. The book is not a continuous narrative, but a sequence of programmatic texts that together propose a new theatrical practice. Its core themes are the liberation of language, the return of the sacred and the disruptive power of presence.
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