Gilles ZENOU (1957-1989), philosophe et romancier... Lot n° 34

He explored his Jewish identity in relation to the themes of sexuality and writing, exile and death. 2 L.A.S. (one on card) to Max Bilen. February-May 1988. 2 pp. in-4 and 2 pp. in-12. Rare letters from this writer who died very young and whose novels Mektoub (1987) and The Book of Secrets (1988) were praised by the literary community who saw in him one of the most promising writers of his generation. Reflections on writing. "I'm trying to do the same, I'm trying to free myself from self-esteem (our dearest trap), to write without worrying about glory. It's very difficult. It's a long way to get clarity from within! You're telling me about Istanbul, a city so dear to me that I went back there twice last year. I walked around the Pera and Galata Tower districts thinking about you. My next book, Disaffection or Exile and Innocence, is set in Istanbul [...]". He thanks him for sending a text. "I read it with the attention it deserves and it raised several questions in me since it keeps the only thing that interests me: creation. You believe in writing, the exploration of another life that is fuller and truer than the one we live. I believe that great texts are those that involve the human being and give him access to "real life". But in me, something revolts against this conception of creation which, like some believers, gives the work of art the meaning and density that the artist does not find in himself. I believe that there is no writing or life (social, daily), there is only one movement, only one rhythm, which is writing itself [...]". Attached is a letter from his brother Yves Zenou announcing his death, a reprint of Kenneth White and Nomadic Literature and photocopies of manuscripts and typescripts by Gilles Zenou.