QUENEAU Raymond. - Lot 183

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Lot n° 183
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4000 - 5000 EUR
QUENEAU Raymond. - Lot 183
QUENEAU Raymond. AUTOGRAPHIC MANUSCRIT, Paradis Terrestres (1957); 45 pages in 2 small in-4 school notebooks. Largely unpublished commentary for a documentary. For this documentary film, made up of images taken by explorers in remote and desert regions, and which was to be directed by the Italian filmmaker Luciano EMMER (1918-2009), in collaboration with Connaissance du Monde (which organized conferences of explorers and produced films), Raymond Queneau wrote a commentary which was to be spoken in voice-over. But Queneau's humour did not please the production, and his text was largely mutilated, cut and often replaced by platitudes. Furious, Queneau sent a letter to the production, a copy of which can be seen here: "It is absolutely impossible for me to accept that the commentary be considered my work. The modifications made to my text completely change its style and spirit. To attribute authorship to me is to do me a definite disservice. Consequently, he demanded that his name be removed from the credits. The film, directed by Emmer with the help of Robert Enrico, was released under the title Paradiso terrestre in Italy, and À chacun son paradis in France. Let us quote the beginning of the manuscript, which has remained unpublished: "It's a strange idea to go looking for earthly paradises in such desolate regions. It is indeed an explorer's idea. To travel, to really travel, as we know, is to love discomfort. And the discomfort in Kerguelen is particularly refined. There are, however, sometimes good days - documentation buffs take the opportunity to record the speeches of elephant seals for future viewers of the film Paradis Terrestres... The manuscript is written on two Ronsard school notebooks with blue and green covers, in black ink on the front of the pages. It bears the references of the reels, and the indication of the different plans. It presents erasures and corrections. The abundantly corrected typescript (99 p. in-4); the final typescript (19 p., in double copy), plus the mimeographed text (3 and 28 p.); a presentation text (1 p. dactyl.); a L.A. S. from LO DUCA to Queneau (February 21, 1957, 3 p. in-4 on the letterhead of Les Films du Centaure); a typed letter from R. Queneau (copy) refusing to allow his name to appear in the egénrique : a text presenting the film (1 p. dactyl.).
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