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CrafingBetweenCodes-HenriMichaux
15
Frenchcriticism.InthecaseofHenriMichaux,itistellingthatduringhis
debutperiod,whichcriticstermhisugreenperiod”7(andduringwhichhe
expresseshisfar-reachingobjectionstoBreton)ssurrealistdoctrineandstarts
developinghisownversionofsurrealisttechniques),hebeginstotakean
interestinpainting,withpaintersclosetotheinchoatepoeticsofsurrealism
playinganimportantrole.ItishighlysignificantthatinthecaseofMichaux,
boththeneedtowriteandtheneedtopaint/drawseemtohavebeeninspired
almostentirelyfromwithout.Firsttheneedtowrite,which,asthepoethim-
selfsays,aroseasaresultofreadingLautréamontandhisLesChantsdeMal-
doror.8InuQuelquesrenseignementssurcinquante-neufannéesd)existence”9
(uSomeInformationAboutFify-NineYearsofExistence”),hispoeticauto-
biography,whichinthepastIhavereferredtoasparadoxical,Michauxevokes
expost,fromaperspectiveofnearlyfortyyears,themomentofhisupainterly”
birth.Hedoessoasfollows:
1925KleepuisErnst,Chirico…Extrêmesurprise.Jusque-là,ilhaïssaitlapeintureet
lefaitmêmedepeindre,ucommes)iln)yavaitpasencoreassezderéalité,decetteab-
ominableréalité-pensait-il.EncorevouloirlaRyter,yrevenir.”(ŒuvrescomplètesI,
p.CXXII)
Tisof-quotedfragmentisquitetelling.Itisayoungpoet)sstrongly
wordedexpressionofhostilitytowardspaintingandpaintersalike,whom
heexplicitlyaccusesofwantingtourepeat,”ucomeback”touawfulreality.”
Inaprivateletterwrittentwoyearsbeforethisautobiographywaspub-
lished,Michauxcallspainters,whomhehadpreviouslyhated,ulesauxilia-
riesbénévolesdel)encombranteréalitéetdesesapparencesquinesontque
tropapparentesetcouvrantes.”Itisworthaddingherethetellingfactthatin
Michaux)sopinion,uLescubistesmêmenelesavaientjamiasdépassées,tout
aucontraire.”10
7
TetermwasproposedbyJean-BaptisteBaronianandborrowedfromthenameofthe
BelgianperiodicalLedisquevert,whichMichauxworkedforasayoungmanstartingin1922.
SeeJ.-B.Baronian,uLapériodeverte,”MagazineLittéraire,no.220,1985,pp.21-22).
8
u1922.Brussels.Reads[Lautreamont)s]Maldoror.Shockłwhichsoonbringsonthe
long-forgottenneedtowrite.”InDarknessMoves:AnHenriMichauxAnthology,1927-1984,
transl.DavidBall,UniversityofCaliforniaPress,1994,p.xxvii.
9
H.Michaux,uQuelquesrenseignementssurcinquante-neufannéesd)existence,”
inŒuvrescomplètes,vol.I,pp.CXXIX-CXXXV
.Tistextwasoriginallypublishedin
1959inamonographonHenriMichauxbyRobertBréchon.Italsoopensthespecialissue
ofCahiersdel)HernedevotedtoMichauxandthemonographonMichauxbyJean-Michel
Maulpoix.
10
TisinalettertoPatrickWaldbergdatedMay30,1956.IamquotingfromR.Bellour,
LireMichaux,Gallimard,Paris,telseries,p.247,footnote3.