Le Requiem. Paris, Gallimard, [1962].
In-4 [234 x 187] of 173 pp, (3) ff. the last one blank: paperback, in a blue morocco flat back folder and slipcase signed Boichot.
First edition: 125 numbered copies.
ONE OF THE 25 COPIES ON AZURE PARCHMENT FROM PAPETERIES DUJARDIN.
This set, of an astonishing size (more than 4,000 verses), is a kind of poetic testament, a river of ink, writes Pierre Bergé, "on which, anemic Siegfried, Cocteau undertakes a heroic drift of several weeks. A retrospective saga, stenographed rather than written,
Le Requiem will require a patient work of deciphering. It is presented like a shrine encrusted with disparate stones (...) Cocteau refused to use any punctuation, which would be like the moustaches drawn by gallopers on a bust. Arranged like benches throughout the poem, "halts" allow one to sit down and leave the external spectacles for those of the memory."
SUPERB AUTOGRAPHIC SENDING: to // Pierre Bergé [framed] // My P ierre // I know well that it is necessary to carry // his cross - mine is heavy. //
I send you this river in which // one spits. I send it to you on // one of the blue copies to // tell you my tenderness. // Jean // * // 1962
The dedication, which is very moving, was written a few months before Cocteau's death.
Small tear at the bottom of the spine; edges of the cover slightly yellowed.
Bergé, Album Cocteau, Pléiade, 2006, pp. 326 and 339 - Brenner, Histoire de la littérature française de 1940 à nos jours, Fayard, 1978, p. 119 : "The crowning achievement of his work and his life."
We use cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience, perform site traffic analysis, and deliver content and advertisements most relevant to your interests.
Cookie management:
By allowing these cookies, you agree to the deposit, reading and use of tracking technologies necessary for their proper functioning. Read more about our privacy policy.