Posted by Roger on September 23, 1998 at 08:15:40 PM EDT:
In Reply to: Vaneigem : 1970-199? posted by gz on September 20, 1998 at 12:47:41 AM EDT:
Here's RV's author's note to the forthcoming "Cavalier History of Surrealsim", which may be of some use.
Commissioned in 1970 by a French publisher who planned to issue it in
a series intended for high-school pupils, this Histoire desinvolte du
surrealisme was written in a couple of weeks under the pressure of a
contractual deadline. The fact that the original bearer of the name
chosen as a pseudonym, "Jules-Francois Dupuis", was the janitor of
the building where Lautreamont died, and a witness to his death
certificate, should be a clear enough sign that this book is not one
of those that are particularly dear to my heart; it was merely a
diversion.
When the original publisher's projected series was abandoned, the
manuscript was returned to me. It then languished for some years at
the house of a friend, who in 1976 showed it to a young publisher of
her acquaintance. As a result it was published a year later
(Nonville: Paul Vermont). It was reprinted in 1988 (Paris: (Nonville: Paul Vermont). It was reprinted in 1988 (Paris:
L'Instant). Perhaps it is fair to say that, despite its polemical
character and peremptory tone, it remains a useful "schoolbook", and
one which may protect those just discovering Surrealism from a
certain number of received ideas.
R.V.