Terre sur terre
*Terre sur terre* stands among Tristan Tzara’s notable postwar poetry books and was issued in 1946 by Trois Collines, a publisher that became an important meeting point for poetry and art in the immediate aftermath of the war. The collaboration with André Masson gives the volume a distinctive visual charge without diminishing the lyrical autonomy of Tzara’s text. Masson’s ten compositions echo the book’s cadence through a nervous, organic language of form closely attuned to Tzara’s imagery. This copy, numbered 1543 of 3000 on vergé crème, is further enriched by a warm inscription from Tzara to René Lacôte. It therefore carries not only bibliophilic value but also a clear literary provenance. For the collector, it is a compact yet eloquent witness to poetry, avant-garde legacy, and personal exchange.
Quantity
Tzara, Tristan
Masson, André
Terre sur terre
1946 | Genève & Paris | Trois Collines
With its first-edition status, Masson illustrations, and inscription to René Lacôte, this copy offers an especially eloquent witness to Tzara’s postwar poetry. It unites aesthetic force and literary intimacy in a rare form.
*Terre sur terre* stands among Tristan Tzara’s notable postwar poetry books and was issued in 1946 by Trois Collines, a publisher that became an important meeting point for poetry and art in the immediate aftermath of the war. The collaboration with André Masson gives the volume a distinctive visual charge without diminishing the lyrical autonomy of Tzara’s text. Masson’s ten compositions echo the book’s cadence through a nervous, organic language of form closely attuned to Tzara’s imagery. This copy, numbered 1543 of 3000 on vergé crème, is further enriched by a warm inscription from Tzara to René Lacôte. It therefore carries not only bibliophilic value but also a clear literary provenance. For the collector, it is a compact yet eloquent witness to poetry, avant-garde legacy, and personal exchange.
€425
Condition Report:
In-Depth Study
References & Bibliography
Format
In-12 (Duodecimo) approx. 17 × 22 cm
Edition Particulars
One of 3000 copies on vergé crème, enriched with an inscription from Tristan Tzara to René Lacôte on the half-title page.
Print Run
3.16
Copy Number
No. 1543
Paper
vergé crème
Inscription
Envoi
Product DETAIL
The volume unfolds as a poetic meditation on earth, matter, life, and reconstruction, written in the shadow of war without collapsing into mere elegy. Tzara binds cosmic and bodily images so that the concrete and the visionary continually flow into one another. The language remains free, associative, and musical, yet it is more concentrated than the explosive gestures of his early Dada years. These poems reveal a writer who has passed through historical upheaval and still seeks a renewed ground for speech. *Terre sur terre* thus reads as a book of recovered breath, where elemental things regain meaning.
Michaux, Henri · Bettencourt, Pierre
Arriver à se réveiller
A rare first edition of Arriver à se réveiller, written by Henri Michaux in the tremulous post-war years. The text unfolds as an inward journey toward lucidity, where sleep and waking mirror each other. Printed and published by Pierre Bettencourt in his own workshop, the edition’s small run preserves the work’s intimacy. The title-page vignette, a linocut by Bettencourt, sets a spare, rhythmic visual key that amplifies Michaux’s vigilant, vulnerable tone. This copy is handsomely bound in brown morocco with balsa boards by Miguet, a tactile nod to lightness under tension. For bibliophiles, it is an exemplary union of poetry, craft, and experiment. The volume embodies the independence of the post-war small press and Michaux’s radical sensitivity.
Illustrated Book
€680
Éluard, Paul
Au rendez-vous allemand
Au rendez-vous allemand is one of the emblematic collections of Éluard’s wartime poetry. The book appeared in 1944 from Les Éditions de Minuit, the publishing house that, under the Occupation, became a moral landmark of the French literary Resistance. The volume gathers poems in which love, mourning, revolt and hope appear not as abstractions but as immediate necessities under German rule. The frontispiece, a portrait of the poet after Picasso, gives the book a powerful artistic signature: two voices of modern France, poet and artist, stand here in the same struggle. This is an ordinary, unnumbered copy, but signed by Éluard on the first page. That signature makes the book more than a Resistance document: it becomes a tangible witness to literary presence in a historically charged year. For the collector, it unites the clandestine aura of Minuit, Picasso’s name and Éluard’s own hand.
Illustrated Book
€350
Gracq, Julien · Bellmer, Hans
André Breton. Quelques aspects de l'écrivain.
A rare homage by Julien Gracq to André Breton, published by José Corti in a limited edition of 70 copies. This essay is both a powerful literary portrait and a visual tribute, thanks to Hans Bellmer’s iconic line portrait on the cover. Bellmer, known for his surrealist and psychosexual art, ties the book to the avant-garde movements of the 20th century. Gracq’s analysis is rigorous and insightful, reflecting his close engagement with Breton’s ideas. The collaboration between these two major figures and the fine print quality make this a coveted item for collectors of surrealist literature.
Illustrated Book
€500
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