CHAR RENÉ (1907-1988) Lot n° 354

Thirty-five autograph letters or cards addressed to his translator GRETA RAU. From December 31, 1955 to January 9, 1968. 55 pages of various sizes, mostly in-8, envelopes enclosed. Beautiful, attentive correspondence, alternating periods of proximity and distance, during which Char follows the life and work of his friend. Most of the letters concern the years 1956 and 1957. Gréta Rau translated Char's texts with Franz Wurm for a collection entitled "Schriften zur Bildenden Kunst", published in Zurich (Verlag die Arche) in 1963. She is also the author of "René Char ou la Poésie accrue" published by José Corti in 1957. January 11, 1956: "Don't rush! Take your time! Tell yourself that the duty is over and that something more interesting may be starting (at least that is what I am selfishly looking for!): the tête à tête with poetry - a forest of faces that open up and express themselves for you without worrying about others, nor about the ear of the passer-by! Friendship with the poem is what gets it all" ... February 11, 1956: ... "I am a little angry at myself for having become your executioner! But not bloodthirsty. My idea is that gifted, chosen beings must be constantly on the alert and give the best of themselves" ... February 29, 1956: "Isn't poetry untouchable? Does it not exist only in its own language? And this in spite of sublime chances sometimes ... The poem is an uprooting from the original basement, at least from its birth. How can we restore this warmth of the great moment that runs through the glasses like the milky way in the sky? Tackle Hypnos if you are not sickened by its meanderings, its incurable sadness, its va-tout" ... March 10, 1956: "I have received your translations of Heidegger... I was interested and moved by their reading. I compliment you for the care, the clarity, the intelligence, the poetic scrupulousness that you have given this diffi cult work. I will show it to Jean Baufret as soon as possible and ask him to submit it to Heidegger in order to obtain his permission to publish it in France if he agrees... June 3, 1956: "I know that Camus has his own translators, but it is a good rule that you write to him directly to offer to translate The Fall. You will recommend your thesis or me. Camus, who is courtesy itself, will inform me of your letter and I will tell him what I think of you" ... March 9, 1957: ... "That is why my friend I will never alienate the freedom of others; poetry and reality struggle together, hurt in an always incalculable way - at least some poems that have the reality they deserve. And all that is beautiful, worthy of love, is only lightning. Above this hovers an immense pride in what has grown us, illuminated us. When we have understood this terrible sobriety, without becoming ugly or hating the object of so much care and torment, we have traced the borders of the kingdom" ... March 4, 1966: ... "We are pretty much abandoned by the noble Parisian intellectual elite, too busy counting the hairs on their navels! No matter. And the young poets are busy making their nests cosy, administering their reputation on good terms with the authorities. There is a long way from the refusals and revolts of my youth to the cat food that men are content with today. Only women are of constant aggressiveness and courage" ... One of the letters is accompanied by a typed bibliography of René Char with some annotations in his hand. (7 pages in-4). Remarkable and important correspondence.