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Objective chance in passionate ornithology

Manuscript

Author

Author André Breton
People cited Jean Benoît, Gilliard

Description

Manuscript titled in ink by Breton, relating to E. T. Gilliard’s book Living Birds of the World.

The Hegelian category of ‘objective chance’ had been central to Breton’s thought since the 1930s and around 1960 he turned to it in order to evoke the world of stones, the possibility of their crystallisation and what presides over their discoveries. Breton here evokes specialist works about birds and ‘passionate ornithology’ which, from his taste for Lautréamont to the marvellous pages on the Canaries and later on Martinique, remind us that bestiaries play an important place in his imaginary world. [Atelier André Breton website, 2005]

Handwritten manuscript (July 12, 1963).
1 1/4 page in-12, manuscript titled in ink by Breton, on the back of a letterhead of the Association des Amis de Benjamin Péret, with erasures and corrections of this text relating to E. Thomas Gilliard’s book, Living Birds of the World.
‘I've slipped this notebook into my holiday luggage and am also taking along Gilliard's book, which may enable me to identify in passing a few birds.’
Gilliard's book (Hachette, 1962) was translated from the English by Nathalie Gara and edited by Jean Dorst of the National Museum of Natural History. With 400 pages, a bibliography and index, it has many black and white and colour illustrations and a hardback binding. [sale catalogue, 2003]

*This entry was translated from the French by Michael Richardson.