René Char
Encyclopedia
René Char was a 20th century French poet
.
in the Vaucluse
department of France
, the youngest of four children of Emile Char and Marie-Therese Rouget, where his father was mayor and managing director of the Vaucluse plasterworks. He spent his childhood in Névons, the substantial family home completed at his birth, then studied as a boarder at the school of Avignon
and subsequently, in 1925, a student at L'École de Commerce de Marseille, where he read Plutarch
, François Villon
, Racine
, the German Romantics, Alfred de Vigny
, Gérard de Nerval
and Charles Baudelaire
. He was tall (1.92 m) and an active rugby
player. After briefly working at Cavaillon
, in 1927 he performed his military service in the artillery in Nîmes
.
Char's first book, Cloches sur le cœur was published in 1928 as a compilation of poems written between 1922-1926. In early 1929, he founded the journal Méridiens with Andre Cayatte
and published three issues. In August, he sent a twenty-six copies of his book Arsenal, published in Nîmes, to Paul Éluard
, who in the autumn came to visit him at L'Isle sur la Sorgue. In late November, Char moved to Paris, where he met Louis Aragon
, André Breton
, and René Crevel
, and joined the surrealists
. His "Profession de foi du sujet" was published in December in the twelfth issue of La Révolution surréaliste. He remained active in the surrealist movement through the early 1930s but distanced himself gradually from the mid 1930s onward.
Char joined the French Resistance
in 1940, serving under the name of Captain Alexandre, where he commanded the Durance
parachute drop zone. He wrote about these events in his prose poems Feuillets d'Hypnos in an extraordinary manner. During the 1950s and 1960s, despite brief and unhappy experiences in the theater and film, Char reached full maturity as a poet. In the 1960s, he joined the battle against the stationing of atomic weapons in Provence
. He died of a heart attack in 1988 in Paris
. The Hotel Campredon (also known as the Maison René Char) in L'Isle sur la Sorgue is a public collection of his manuscripts, drawings, paintings and objets d'art.
Char was a friend and close associate of Albert Camus
, Georges Bataille
and Maurice Blanchot
among writers, Pablo Picasso
, Joan Miró
and Victor Brauner
among painters
The composer Pierre Boulez
wrote three settings of Char's poetry, Le Soleil des eaux, Le visage nuptial, and Le Marteau sans maître
. A late friendship developed also between Char and Martin Heidegger
, who described Char's poetry as "a tour de force into the ineffable" and was repeatedly his guest at La Thor in the Vaucluse
.
Char's Œuvres complètes were published in the prestigious Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, Gallimard, in 1983 with an introduction by Jean Roudaut. An augmented posthumous re-edition appeared in 1995.
works into English are William Carlos Williams
, Samuel Beckett
, Richard Wilbur
, James Wright
, John Ashberry, W.S. Merwin, Cid Corman
, Gustaf Sobin
and Paul Auster
. Translators into German have included Paul Celan
and Peter Handke
.
"Poems of René Char" translated and annotated by Mary Ann Caws and Jonathan Griffin, Princeton University Press
1976
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Biography
Char was born in L'Isle-sur-la-SorgueL'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is a town and commune on the Sorgue river southeastern France. Politically, the commune is in the arrondissement of Avignon within the département of Vaucluse and the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.The small town is famous for its many antique shops and hosts antique...
in the Vaucluse
Vaucluse
The Vaucluse is a department in the southeast of France, named after the famous spring, the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.- History :Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, and Basses-Alpes...
department of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the youngest of four children of Emile Char and Marie-Therese Rouget, where his father was mayor and managing director of the Vaucluse plasterworks. He spent his childhood in Névons, the substantial family home completed at his birth, then studied as a boarder at the school of Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
and subsequently, in 1925, a student at L'École de Commerce de Marseille, where he read Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
, François Villon
François Villon
François Villon was a French poet, thief, and vagabond. He is perhaps best known for his Testaments and his Ballade des Pendus, written while in prison...
, Racine
Jean Racine
Jean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition...
, the German Romantics, Alfred de Vigny
Alfred de Vigny
Alfred Victor de Vigny was a French poet, playwright, and novelist.-Life:Alfred de Vigny was born in Loches into an aristocratic family...
, Gérard de Nerval
Gérard de Nerval
Gérard de Nerval was the nom-de-plume of the French poet, essayist and translator Gérard Labrunie, one of the most essentially Romantic French poets.- Biography :...
and Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire was a French poet who produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal expresses the changing nature of beauty in modern, industrializing Paris during the nineteenth century...
. He was tall (1.92 m) and an active rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
player. After briefly working at Cavaillon
Cavaillon
Cavaillon is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-Geography:The Calavon, a tributary of the Durance locally called Coulon, flows westward through the middle of the commune....
, in 1927 he performed his military service in the artillery in Nîmes
Nîmes
Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
.
Char's first book, Cloches sur le cœur was published in 1928 as a compilation of poems written between 1922-1926. In early 1929, he founded the journal Méridiens with Andre Cayatte
André Cayatte
André Cayatte was a French New Wave filmmaker and lawyer, who became known for his films centering on themes of crime, justice, and moral responsibility, themes which Cayatte persisted in affirming regardless of changing contemporary attitudes.Some of Cayatte's earlier films that covered these...
and published three issues. In August, he sent a twenty-six copies of his book Arsenal, published in Nîmes, to Paul Éluard
Paul Éluard
Paul Éluard, born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel , was a French poet who was one of the founders of the surrealist movement.-Biography:...
, who in the autumn came to visit him at L'Isle sur la Sorgue. In late November, Char moved to Paris, where he met Louis Aragon
Louis Aragon
Louis Aragon , was a French poet, novelist and editor, a long-time member of the Communist Party and a member of the Académie Goncourt.- Early life :...
, André Breton
André Breton
André Breton was a French writer and poet. He is known best as the founder of Surrealism. His writings include the first Surrealist Manifesto of 1924, in which he defined surrealism as "pure psychic automatism"....
, and René Crevel
René Crevel
René Crevel was a French writer involved with the surrealist movement.-Life:Crevel was born in Paris to a family of Parisian bourgeoisie. He had a traumatic religious upbringing. At the age of fourteen, during a difficult stage of his life, his father committed suicide by hanging himself. Crevel...
, and joined the surrealists
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
. His "Profession de foi du sujet" was published in December in the twelfth issue of La Révolution surréaliste. He remained active in the surrealist movement through the early 1930s but distanced himself gradually from the mid 1930s onward.
Char joined the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
in 1940, serving under the name of Captain Alexandre, where he commanded the Durance
Durance
The Durance is a major river in south-eastern France.Its source is in the south-western Alps, in Montgenèvre ski resort near Briançon and it flows south-west through the following départements and cities:* Hautes-Alpes: Briançon, Embrun.* Alpes-de-Haute-Provence: Sisteron, Manosque.* Vaucluse:...
parachute drop zone. He wrote about these events in his prose poems Feuillets d'Hypnos in an extraordinary manner. During the 1950s and 1960s, despite brief and unhappy experiences in the theater and film, Char reached full maturity as a poet. In the 1960s, he joined the battle against the stationing of atomic weapons in Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
. He died of a heart attack in 1988 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. The Hotel Campredon (also known as the Maison René Char) in L'Isle sur la Sorgue is a public collection of his manuscripts, drawings, paintings and objets d'art.
Char was a friend and close associate of Albert Camus
Albert Camus
Albert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
, Georges Bataille
Georges Bataille
Georges Bataille was a French writer. His multifaceted work is linked to the domains of literature, anthropology, philosophy, economy, sociology and history of art...
and Maurice Blanchot
Maurice Blanchot
Maurice Blanchot was a French writer, philosopher, and literary theorist. His work had a strong influence on post-structuralist philosophers such as Jacques Derrida.-Works:...
among writers, Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
, Joan Miró
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
and Victor Brauner
Victor Brauner
Victor Brauner was a Romanian Jewish painter of surrealistic images.-Early life:He was born in Piatra Neamţ, the son of a timber manufacturer who subsequently settled in Vienna with his family for a few years. It is there that young Victor attended elementary school...
among painters
The composer Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez is a French composer of contemporary classical music, a pianist, and a conductor.-Early years:Boulez was born in Montbrison, Loire, France. As a child he began piano lessons and demonstrated aptitude in both music and mathematics...
wrote three settings of Char's poetry, Le Soleil des eaux, Le visage nuptial, and Le Marteau sans maître
Le marteau sans maître
Le marteau sans maître is a composition by the French composer Pierre Boulez. It is a setting of the surrealist poetry of René Char for alto and six instrumentalists. It was first performed in 1955.-Movements:...
. A late friendship developed also between Char and Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher known for his existential and phenomenological explorations of the "question of Being."...
, who described Char's poetry as "a tour de force into the ineffable" and was repeatedly his guest at La Thor in the Vaucluse
Vaucluse
The Vaucluse is a department in the southeast of France, named after the famous spring, the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.- History :Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, and Basses-Alpes...
.
Better known works
- Arsenal (1929).
- Ralentir Travaux (1930 - in collaboration with André Breton and Paul Éluard).
- Artine (1930).
- L'action de la justice est éteinte (1931).
- Le marteau sans maître (1934).
- Moulin Premier (1936).
- Placard pour un chemin des écoliers (1937).
- Dehors la nuit est gouvernée (1938).
- Seuls demeurent (1943).
- le Poème pulvérisé (1945).
- Feuillets d'Hypnos (1946).
- Fureur et mystère (1948).
- Les Matinaux (1950).
- A une sérénité crispée (1951).
- Recherche de la base et du sommet (1955).
- La Parole en archipel (1962).
- Dans la pluie giboyeuse (1968).
- Le Nu perdu (1971).
- Aromates chasseurs (1976).
- Chants de la Balandrane (1977).
- Fenêtres dormantes et porte sur le toit (1979).
- Les voisinages de Van Gogh (1985).
- Éloge d'une soupçonnée (1988).
Char's Œuvres complètes were published in the prestigious Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, Gallimard, in 1983 with an introduction by Jean Roudaut. An augmented posthumous re-edition appeared in 1995.
Translations
Among the poets to translate his hermeticHermetics
Hermetics is the deliberate use of exceedingly obscure, convoluted, or esoteric literary or graphical symbolism and imagery....
works into English are William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams was an American poet closely associated with modernism and Imagism. He was also a pediatrician and general practitioner of medicine, having graduated from the University of Pennsylvania...
, Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
, Richard Wilbur
Richard Wilbur
Richard Purdy Wilbur is an American poet and literary translator. He was appointed the second Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1987, and twice received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, in 1957 and again in 1989....
, James Wright
James Wright (poet)
James Arlington Wright was an American poet.Wright first emerged on the literary scene in 1956 with The Green Wall, a collection of formalist verse that was awarded the prestigious Yale Younger Poets Prize. But by the early 1960s, Wright, increasingly influenced by the Spanish language...
, John Ashberry, W.S. Merwin, Cid Corman
Cid Corman
Cid Corman was an American poet, translator and editor, most notably of Origin, who was a key figure in the history of American poetry in the second half of the 20th century.-Early life and writing:...
, Gustaf Sobin
Gustaf Sobin
Gustaf Sobin was a U.S.-born poet and author who spent most of his adult life in France. Originally from Boston, Sobin attended the Choate School, Brown University, and moved to Paris in 1962...
and Paul Auster
Paul Auster
Paul Benjamin Auster is an American author known for works blending absurdism, existentialism, crime fiction and the search for identity and personal meaning in works such as The New York Trilogy , Moon Palace , The Music of Chance , The Book of Illusions and The Brooklyn Follies...
. Translators into German have included Paul Celan
Paul Celan
Paul Celan was a poet and translator...
and Peter Handke
Peter Handke
Peter Handke is an avant-garde Austrian novelist and playwright.-Early life:Handke and his mother lived in the Soviet-occupied Pankow district of Berlin from 1944 to 1948 before resettling in Griffen...
.
Further reading
- Ralentir Travaux: Slow Under Construction, Exact Change, U.S. 1992
- Selected Poems of Rene Char, New Directions Publishing Corporation 1992
- The Smoke That Carried Us: Selected Poems of Rene Char, Translated into English by Susanne Dubroff, 2004
"Poems of René Char" translated and annotated by Mary Ann Caws and Jonathan Griffin, Princeton University Press
1976
See also
- Le Mondes 100 Books of the CenturyLe Monde's 100 Books of the CenturyThe 100 Books of the Century is a grading of the books considered as the hundred best of the 20th century, drawn up in the spring of 1999 through a poll conducted by the French retailer Fnac and the Paris newspaper Le Monde....
, a list which includes Fureur et mystère