Pierre Reverdy

Challenged by his friend, poet and art critic Max Jacob, to write a novel, Pierre Reverdy produced this fragmented, beautiful assemblage of loneliness, paranoia and depersonalization drawn from his own experience of Paris in the early 20th century, the sometimes antagonistic atmosphere of the avant-garde and his own troubled relationship with Jacob, who tended to detect the threat of his literary treasures being plagiarized among everyone he knew. Toward the end of his life, Reverdy confirmed that the alienated, anxious “thief” of this novel in verse was a portrait of himself (“Talant” conveys both the dual echo in French of “talent” and the small town of Talan near Dijon, thereby evoking a potential plagiarizer from the countryside), and “Abel the Magus,” a semi-satirical portrait of Jacob. Originally published in French in 1917, The Thief of Talant is a radical experiment in verse and narrative, a moving evocation of the loss (and recovery) of self and an encrypted guidebook to the “heroic” years of Cubism. Pierre Reverdy (1889–1960) was a reclusive yet integral component of the early Parisian avant-garde and a friend to painters such as Modigliani, Picasso and Gris, who, with fellow poets such as Apollinaire and Jacob, came to represent a faction known as the “Cubist poets.” In 1926, Reverdy withdrew from Paris for a life of seclusion in the northwest of France.

Pierre Reverdy's surrealistic tale Maison hantee was written in 1928 and first published in 1930. Andre Breton would later include it in a list of the ten books he would most like to take to a desert island. John Ashbery's translation of this modern classic is part of his lifelong engagement with French literature - an engagement that has vitally informed his own work in poetry, literature and the arts.

The great Pierre Reverdy, comrade to Picasso and Braque, peer and contemporary of Wallace Stevens and William Carlos Williams, is among the most mysteriously satisfying of twentieth-century poets, his poems an uncanny mixture of the simple and the sublime. Reverdy's poetry has exerted a special attraction on American poets, from Kenneth Rexroth to John Ashbery, and this new selection, featuring the work of fourteen distinguished translators, most of it appearing here for the first time, documents that ongoing relationship while offering readers the essential work of an extraordinary writer. Translated from the French by: John Ashbery Dan BellmMary Ann CawsLydia DavisMarilyn HackerRichard HowardGeoffrey O'BrienFrank O'HaraRon PadgettMark PolizzottiKenneth RexrothRichard SieburthPatricia TerryRosanna Warren

Henri Laurens: Stone, Bronze, Terracotta is a book that explores the life and work of the French sculptor Henri Laurens. Written by the renowned French poet and critic Pierre Reverdy, this book offers a comprehensive overview of Laurens' artistic career, from his early experiments with Cubism to his later, more abstract works.The book is divided into several chapters, each of which focuses on a different aspect of Laurens' work. The first chapter provides an introduction to Laurens' life and work, while the second chapter explores his early years as an artist and his involvement with the Cubist movement. The third chapter delves into Laurens' fascination with the human form, while the fourth chapter examines his use of different materials, including stone, bronze, and terracotta.Throughout the book, Reverdy provides insightful commentary on Laurens' work, discussing the themes and motifs that recur throughout his oeuvre and the ways in which his art reflects the broader cultural and historical context of his time. He also offers a detailed analysis of some of Laurens' most famous works, including his monumental sculptures and his more intimate studies of the human figure.Featuring numerous illustrations and photographs of Laurens' work, Henri Laurens: Stone, Bronze, Terracotta is a must-read for anyone interested in the life and work of this important artist. Whether you are a scholar, a student, or simply an art lover, this book offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of Henri Laurens and his enduring legacy as one of the most significant sculptors of the twentieth century.Exhibition September 29, 1947 To October 18, 1947.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.