Julien Gracq Boeken

A previously untranslated gem of Surrealist prose poetry from the acclaimed French novelist In 1941, Julien Gracq, newly released from a German prisoner-of-war camp, wrote a series of prose poems that would come to represent the only properly Surrealist writings in his oeuvre. Surrealism provided Gracq with a means of counteracting his disturbing wartime experiences; his newfound freedom inspired a new freedom of personal expression, and he gave the collection an appropriate title, Great Liberty: "In the occult dictionary of Surrealism, the true name of poetry is liberation." Gracq the poet rather than the novelist is at work here: Surrealist fireworks lace through bewitching modernist romance, fantasy, black humor and deadpan absurdism. A later, postwar section entitled "The Habitable Earth" presents Gracq as visionary traveler exploring Andes and Flanders and returning to the narrative impulse of his better-known fiction. Julien Gracq(1910-2007), born Louis Poirier, is known for such dreamlike novels as The Castle of Argol, A Dark Stranger, The Opposing Shoreand Balcony in the Forest. He was close to the Surrealist movement, and André Breton in particular, to whom he devoted a critical study.

It is the fall of 1939, and Lieutenant Grange and his men are living in a chalet above a concrete bunker deep in the Ardennes forest, charged with defending the French-Belgian border against the Germans in a war that seems unreal, distant, and unlikely. Far more immediate is the earthy life of the forest itself and the deep sensations of childhood it recalls from Grange’s memory. Ostensibly readying for war, Grange instead spends his time observing the change in seasons, falling in love with a young free-spirited widow, and contemplating the absurd stasis of his present condition. This novel of long takes, dream states, and little dramatic action culminates abruptly in battle, an event that is as much the real incursion of the German army into France as it is the sudden intrusion of death into the suspended disbelief of life. Richard Howard’s skilled translation captures the fairy-tale otherworldliness and existential dread of this unusual, elusive novel (first published in 1958) by the supreme prose stylist Julien Gracq.

Exploring the profound relationship between reading and writing, this book celebrates the transformative power of literature. It delves into how these two acts intertwine, creating a seamless experience that honors the art of storytelling. Through its dedication to the literary world, it invites readers to appreciate the beauty and continuity of the written word.

Set on All Saints' Day in 1917, the story unfolds through the eyes of a former soldier reflecting on his visit to Jacques Nueil, an aviator and avant-garde composer. As the backdrop of the Great War merges with the impending Russian Revolution, the atmosphere is thick with tension, accentuated by distant bomb sounds. The narrative is enriched by vivid memories and inspired by Goya's engraving La Mala Noche and Burne-Jones's painting King Cophetua and the Beggar Girl, creating a hauntingly immersive experience.

Julien Gracq zmarł 22 grudnia 2007 roku w swoim rodzinnym domu w Saint Florent- le- Veil. Z okien domu widać zielone brzegi Sekwany i ujście Evrw, bohaterski poetyckiego eseju Les eaux etroites, który w polskim przekładzie - za zgodą autora- nosi tytuł Bliskie wody.

Julien Gracq veröffentlichte in den 60er Jahren die beiden Bände "Lettrines", bestehend aus kurzen, thematisch und formal vielfältigen Prosastücken. Die Texte reichen von erzählenden und beschreibenden bis hin zu ironischen und aphoristischen Inhalten. Gracqs präzise Sprache und Metaphern fesseln die Leser. Dieter Hornig übersetzte das Werk kongenial.