Robert Desnos - Surrealist, Lover, Resistant: Collected Poems

SURREALIST LOVER RESISTANT Published by Arc Publications, Nanholme Mill, Shaw Wood Road Todmorden OL14 6DA, UK www.arcpublications.co.uk
Copyright in original text ditions Gallimard Translation copyright Timothy Ads, 2017 Copyright in the present edition Arc Publications 2017
978 1906570 69 9 (pbk) 978 1908376 77 1 (ebk) 978 1906570 95 8 (hbk)
Cover design by Tony Ward
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Arc Classics: New Translations of Great Poets of the Past Series Editor: Jean Boase-Beier Robert Desnos SURREALIST LOVER RESISTANT COLLECTED POEMS
Translated and introduced by Timothy Ads
2017 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The translator gratefully acknowledges Mme Marie-Claire Dumas and ditions Gallimard, for excerpts from her commentary on , both in Destine Arbitraire , and all other poems in uvres , 1999. Thanks are due to the editors of the following publications, in which some of these translations have appeared: Acumen 50 (). CONTENTS
POEMS 1915-1922 de Ddication / from Dedication SURREALIST WORDS PLAY, WORDS MAKE LOVE 1922-1926 de LAumonyme / from Alms And The Pun de Langage Cuit / from Cooked Speech de Cest les Bottes de Sept Lieues Cette Phrase Je Me Vois / from That Line I See Myselfis Seven-League Boots LOVER YVONNE GEORGE HOPELESS LOVE 1926-7 La Mystrieuse / To The Woman of Mystery 1926 Les Tnbres / Shadows 1927 TIME OF CONFLICT WITHOUT YVONNE, WITHOUT ANDR BRETON 1929-30 LOVER YOUKI FOUJITA POEMS 1930-32

Youki 1930 Posie / Youki 1930 Poetry

Nuits Blanches / White Nights

Bagatelles / Bagatelles POEMS 1934-37 Sur La Radio / On the Radio Translators note
Les Portes Battantes / Swing Doors RESISTANT POEMS PUBLISHED IN 1943 tat de Veille / State of Alert 1942-43 Contre / Against the Grain Le Bain Avec Andromde / Bathing With Andromeda Editorial note Calixto 1943-44 Ce Cur Qui Hassait La Guerre / This Heart Which Hated War by Louis Aragon
INTRODUCTION
ROBERT DESNOS (both the ss are sounded) is, to this translator, the most exciting French poet of the last century.

Already in his early twenties he found his way to the nascent Surrealist Movement in Paris, when it was just a little club. Surrealism set him free from the normal constraints of reason, relevance, coherence. At the same time he was immensely gifted in the traditional, probably timeless, poetic skills of rhyme and metre, alliteration and wordplay. Desnos was born in Paris on 4 July 1900, the son of a licensed poultry and game dealer at the Halles Market. In his youth he was secretary to Louis de Gonzague Frick, the poet and critic who was close to Apollinaire. He became a journalist as a young man, and remained one for most of his life.

Among the Surrealists in 1922-4 he composed, while asleep or hypnotised, two hundred elaborate and witty super-spoonerisms which he credited to the inspiration of Rrose Slavy, the fascinating altera ego invented by Marcel Duchamp (see my for further discussion). For this, the Surrealists leader, Andr Breton, proclaimed him the prophet of the movement. Desnos wrote a Surrealist novel, Liberty or Love . Like most of the Surrealists, he fell out with Breton; he soon attached himself to Georges Bataille, writing in the magazine Documents . Some of his great love-poems were inspired by the night-club singer Yvonne George (see my was broadcast as a superproduction. Desnos wrote a hundred poems for children Flowersongs and Storysongs are much-loved classics in France, The Ant being a favourite since it was sung by Juliette Grco but these are not included in this volume.

He also wrote lyrics for songs, commercials and the cinema. The gathering storm in Europe culminated in war and the occupation of France by German troops. Desnos, already a member of the Popular Front, responded by becoming an active Resistant (see my struck directly at the oppressor, heralding the return of freedom. In 1944, Desnos was arrested and deported. After a year of suffering and slavery, he died of typhus at the Terezin death-camp on 8 June 1945. He is the only writer honoured with two quotations at the Monument to the Martyrs of the Deportation, close to the cathedral of Notre-Dame in his home city of Paris.

Timothy Ads ROBERT DESNOS TIMELINE
1900 Born in Paris, son of a licensed dealer in poultry and game at Les Halles. 1902 Family moves to 11 rue St-Martin, and in 1913 to 9 rue de Rivoli. 1914 Studying English at Herne Bay, Kent. 1918 First poems published: encouraged by Louis de Gonzague Frick. Not called up to the military. 1920-21 Military service in France and Morocco. 1921 Introduced to Andr Breton by Benjamin Pret. 1922-4 Linked to Littrature magazine. 1922-4 Linked to Littrature magazine.

Automatic writing. Sessions of hypnotic sleep: super-spoonerisms of Rrose Slavy : great success. 1923-6 Literary critic, film critic, editor of Paris-Soir , Le Soir , Paris-Matinal ; meets Artaud, Leiris, Hemingway, Gertrude Stein 1924 Acclaimed by Andr Breton and others in Surrealist Manifesto . Smitten by nightclub singer Yvonne George. 1926 Moves into Andr Massons old studio, 43 rue Blomet with artist Georges Malkine: a place ideal for relaxing with friends. 1928 Cuba with Alejo Carpentier; film with Man Ray; walking tour of Burgundy with artist Foujita and his wife Youki (Lucie Badoud). 1928 Cuba with Alejo Carpentier; film with Man Ray; walking tour of Burgundy with artist Foujita and his wife Youki (Lucie Badoud).

Linked to Georges Batailles Documents magazine. 1929 Denounced by Breton in Second Surrealist Manifesto . 1930 Angry response. Desnos in Third Surrealist Manifesto says Surrealism is now in the public domain. Yvonne dies of drink and drugs. 1930-2 Penury. 1931 Foujita entrusts Youki to Desnos, and returns to Japan. 1932 Into radio: advertising slogans, jingles. , music by Weill. , music by Weill.

Childrens poems for Hyacinthe and Tristan Deharme. 1933 A bigger Fantomas broadcast with Artaud and Carpentier. 1934 With Youki at 19 rue Mazarine. Antifascist, joins Common Front. 1935 In Spain, meets poets Neruda and Lorca. 1937-8 Chorales for Lorca, the Spanish Republicans, the Museum of Man. 1938 Interprets radio listeners dreams: huge following. 1939 War: Sergeant. 1939 War: Sergeant.

Forced retreat, 250km; captured, released, demobilised. 1940 Journalist, access to enemy despatches, passes these to Resistance. Active Resistant. Sued by pro-fascist Cline over a hostile review. 1942 Slaps another pro-fascist who later denounces him. 1943 Novel against drugs, Le Vin est Tir .

Poems, pseudonymous. 1944 Arrested. not till 1962. Storysongs for Good Children published. Deported to Auschwitz, transferred to Buchenwald, then Flossenbrg. Slave labourer at Flha: cleaner in an aircraft factory.

Brutalised. Still writing letters to Youki. 1945 Murderous forced march to Terezin: arrives 9 May, the war in Europe having ended. Dies of typhus at Terezin on 8 June. 1915-1922 AQUARELLE
Les soldats ont brl la ferme et le chteau, Abattu le donjon, la ruine romaine, Qui, triomphant du temps, de la foudre et de leau, Dun long pass restaient une preuve certaine. Leurs dbris maintenant dtournent le ruisseau Monuments de tristesse et de guerre et de haine.

Les soldats ont brl la ferme et le chteau, Abattu le donjon, la ruine romaine