Now in paperback, René Char's Hypnos is both a remarkable work of
literature and a document of unique significance in the history of the
French Resistance.
Hailed by the poet Paul Eluard as an "absolute masterpiece" upon its
first appearance in 1946, René Char's Hypnos is both a remarkable work
of literature and a document of unique significance in the history of
the French Resistance. Based on a journal Char kept during his time in
the Maquis, it ranges in style from abrupt and sometimes enigmatic
reflections, in which the poet seeks to establish compass bearings in
the darkness of Occupied France, to narrative descriptions that throw
into vivid relief the dramatic and often tragic nature of the issues he
had to confront as the head of his Resistance network. A tribute to the
individual men and women who fought at his side, this volume is also a
meditation on the white magic of poetry and a celebration of the power
of beauty to combat terror and transform our lives.
Translated into German by Paul Celan and into Italian by Vittorio
Sereni, the book has never been carried over into English with the
attention to style and detail that it deserves. Published in full here
for the first time, this long-awaited new translation does justice at
last to the incandescence and pathos of the original French.
