Raymond Roussel

See also: Roussel

Raymond Roussel is a writer and Poète dramatic French (Paris January 20th 1877 - Palermo July 14th 1933)

Its first books, the lining , the sight , Impressions of Africa , do not meet any success. All its other books, like Locus Solus or the star with the face , will be perceived like diverting works. In 1932, it makes appear its Nouvelles Impressions of Africa , followed by 59 enigmatic pen-and-ink drawings of Henri-Achilles Zo.

In How I wrote some of my books (1935), Raymond Roussel explains the mechanisms of his imaginary writing, in particular based on homophony. Its weak success near its contemporaries led it to publish in account of author, from where word game in the title of its work Impressions of Africa , to include/understand Impressions with money , in accordance with the mechanisms of construction/déconstruction of the language and the double direction employed in its works.

Precursor of surrealist, admired by André Breton (“the largest hypnotizer of modern times”), Jean Cocteau, Louis Aragon, Paul Éluard, Georges Perec this writer was read rather little, taking into account the very great complexity of its works.

Raymond Roussel was an inventor in many fields: deposit of a patent on the use of the vacuum, it formulated with the failures the method of chechmate in the case of a finale King, insane and rider against king alone, discovered of a mathematical theorem, etc It was also gold medal of shooting to the gun. It is, in addition, the uncle of Michel Ney. Michel Leiris was the son of his stockbroker Eugene Leiris.

Biography

  • 3rd and last child (a brother: Georges and a sister: Germaine).

  • 1893 : at 16 years it is allowed with the National Academy of Music (piano).
  • 1894 : he inherits the fortune of his father old stockbroker: he is multimillionnaire. He starts to write worms to accompany his musical compositions. At 17 years, he writes My Heart , a long poem published 3 years later in the Gallic .
  • 1896 : he begins the drafting of a long poem entitled the Lining during which he will have what he calls a “curious crisis” where during a few months, he will test a “feeling of universal glory of an extraordinary intensity”.
  • June 10th, 1897 : publication of the Lining which is a total failure. It falls then in depression. It is looked after by the psychiatrist Pierre Janet who will describe his case in anguish with the extase .
Continues to pass from hearings of piano.
Admires the academicians, Le Bourget and Loti; he loves also the poet François Coppée.
It attends the living rooms society men until 1897; it will meet Marcel Proust there.
  • 1910 : publication of Impressions of Africa in which nobody is interested except Edmond Rostand which claims to make a “extraordinary part of it”. Roussel then makes some play three versions successively, but the critic baits herself on the part which is a failure.
  • 1914 : publication of Locus Solus which is not accommodated better than the precedents.
  • Roussel charges Pierre Frondaie making with it a theatrical adaptation, which is also a failure and causes brawls: Roussel reaches a celebrity of scandal.
  • In 1920 and 1921, it carries out a round the world tour. It remains in particular with Tahiti, on the traces of Pierre Loti.
  • May 5th, 1924 : thinking that its parts failed because they were only adaptations, Roussel written the Star with the face , but it is still a failure accompanied by brawls whose partisans are more numerous: they were hooted and treated them opera hat and at this point in time Robert Desnos launched his famous saying: “We are the snap and you are the cheek”.
  • February 2nd, 1926 : last part, Dust of suns , whose places were torn off and without brawls, but always with a bad criticism.
  • 1932 : publication of its last book, New Impressions of Africa .
  • the July 14th, 1933 it is found died, in its hotel room, in Palermo, following a barbiturate excess. A few days before, it had already tried to open the veins. It is buried with the Cimetière of the Father-Lachaise.
  • 1935 : publication of its posthumous work, How I wrote some of my books .
  • 1989 : a trunk containing of many documents and manuscripts belonging to Raymond Roussel is found at a furniture depository. It is there in particular several texts new, in particular, “ the Seine ” which was the subject of a theatrical adaptation to the Festival of Avignon, retransmise by France Culture.

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