Lot n° 31
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2500 - 3000
EUR
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Result
: 2 604EUR
CHAR René (1907-1988).
35 L.A.S. "René Char" or "R. C.", 1955-1968, to Greta RAU, in Zürich; 55 pages, various sizes, envelopes.
Beautiful correspondence to his German translator Greta Rau.
This correspondence extends from December 31, 1955 to January 9, 1968, attentive, alternating periods of proximity and distance, during which Char follows the life and work of his friend.
Jean Hugues communicated to Char Greta Rau's thesis: René Char a search for the new poetic expression, which Char was to appreciate. Together with Franz Wurm, Greta Rau translated Char's texts for a collection entitled Schriften zur Bildenden Kunst, published in Zurich (Verlag die Arche) in 1963. She is also the author of René Char ou la Poésie accrue (José Corti, 1957), which Char recommended to the publisher.
January 11, 1956: "Do not rush anything! Take your time! Say to yourselves that "the duty" is finished and that something more interesting begins perhaps (it is at least what I wish egoistically!): the head to head with poetry - forest with the faces which open and express themselves for you, without concern of others, nor of the ear of the passer-by! The friendship with the poem, it is it which obtains all"... - February 11: "I am a little angry at myself for having become your executioner! But not bloodthirsty. My idea is that gifted, chosen beings must be constantly on the alert and give the best of themselves"... - February 29: "Isn't poetry untranslatable? Does it not exist only in its own language? And this in spite of sublime chances sometimes [...] The poem is an uprooting from the original basement, at least at its birth. How to restore this heat of the great moment that runs through the glasses like the milky way in the sky? Tackle Hypnos [Feuillets d'Hypnos] if you are not disgusted by its meanderings, its incurable sadness, its va-tout " ... - March 10: "I have received your translations of HEIDEGGER [...] I was interested and moved by their reading. I compliment you for the care, the clarity, the intelligence, the poetic scrupulousness that you have given to this difficult work. I will show it to Jean BEAUFRET as soon as possible and will ask him to submit it to Heidegger in order to obtain his authorization to publish it in France if he agrees "... - June 3: he showed the work to Beaufret, but was "frightened by Beaufret's thoroughness in translating [...] I think that poets should not interfere too much in translating the thoughts of philosophers! [...] I know that CAMUS has his own translators, but it is a good rule that you write to him directly and offer to translate The Fall. You will recommend your thesis or me. Camus, who is courtesy itself, will inform me of your letter and I will tell him what I think of you" ... March 9, 1957: "That is why my friend I will never alienate the freedom of others; poetry and reality fight together, hurt in an always incalculable way - at least some poetries that have the reality they deserve. And all that is beautiful, worthy of love, is only lightning. Above this, there is an immense fidelity to what has grown us, has enlightened us. When one has understood this terrible sobriety, without becoming ugly or hating the object of so many precautions and torments, one has traced the borders of the kingdom" ... - March 4, 1966: "We are almost abandoned by the noble intellectual elite of Paris, too busy counting the hairs on its navel! It does not matter. And the young poets are busy making their nests cosy, administering their reputation in good terms with the power. There is a long way from the refusals and revolts of my youth to the cat food that men are satisfied with today. Only women are of a constant aggressiveness and courage" ... One of the letters is accompanied by a typed bibliography of René Char with some annotations in his hand. (7 p in-4). One joined a l.a.s. of José CORTI to Char.
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