On Poetry and Politics

Jean Paulhan (1884-1968) is often referred to as the "grey eminence" of the publishing world in France, where he played a central role in literary and intellectual life. He was editor of Nouvelle Revue FranÇaise from 1925 to 1940, and under his direction it became the most influential literary journal of interwar France. Among the authors he encouraged, edited, and published are Antonin Artaud, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Albert Camus. A writer in his own right, Paulhan received the Grand Prix de LittÉrature of the AcadÉmie FranÇaise in 1951 and was elected to the AcadÉmie FranÇaise in 1963. Jennifer Bajorek is a lecturer in cultural studies at Goldsmiths, University of London, and has translated work by Sarah Kofman and Jacques Derrida. Charlotte Mandell has translated work by Maurice Blanchot, Jean-Luc Nancy, Jean Genet, and Jacques RanciÈre, among others. Eric Trudel is an assistant professor of French at Bard College and is the author of La terreur À l'oeuvre: ThÉorie, poÉtique et Éthique chez Jean Paulhan.

• Introduction   vii1 ON POETRY AND PROVERBSThe Experience of the Proverb   3Jacob Cow the Pirate, or, If Words Are Signs   28Rhetoric Rises from Its Ashes   44Young Lady with Mirrors   57Key to Poetry   702 ON POLITICS AND RESISTANCEDemocracy Calls on the First to Come Along   103The Bee   110Letter on Peace   113Letter to the Directors about Europe   120Letter to the Directors of the Resistance   130Notes   145Index   153

"Paulhan had significant impact on late contemporary literary criticism, including structuralism and deconstruction. . . . These essays enhance the historical perspective on poststructuralist critical theory. . . . Recommended."--Choice “On Poetry and Politics offers an excellent sample of [Paulhan’s] essays in translations that combine accuracy and felicity.”--Contemporary French Civilization "One of the most powerful French writers of the past century. We learn more from one piece by Paulhan about the literature, culture, and politics of twentieth-century France than we learn from reading a whole shelf of books by his contemporaries."--Richard A. Rand, editor of Futures: Of Jacques Derrida "A marvelous book. It exposes the unique, intriguing, and admirable work of Jean Paulhan. These translations will be invaluable to the growing number of scholars and students who have been entering into discussions of Paulhan's work and his world."--Ann Smock, translator of Maurice Blanchot's The Writing of the Disaster "This praiseworthy, pungent, and thought-provoking translation will certainly interest those already familiar with Paulhan, and it will help those unfamiliar with him to situate Paulhan and his work within a broader cultural and historical context. An enjoyable work covering one of the most important figures in the French literary world and the most distinguished essayist of his time."--Warren F. Motte Jr., author of Fables of the Novel: French Fiction since 1990