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Notation of places between Havana and New Orleans

Surrealist game of scholarly notation

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Author

Authors André Breton, Elisa Claro Breton, non identifié

Description

On the headed notepaper of the Compagnie générale transatlantique, 16 March 1946, a ‘game of scholarly notation’.

On the headed notepaper of the Compagnie générale transatlantique, 16 March 1946, ‘between Havana and New Orleans’, here is a group game: scores are given for various cities visited during this voyage made just before the return to France by Breton and Elisa (A. and E.). The two other author-players are not identified. We can note the preference shown by Breton for native American locations, and for the desert. The texts dating from this period on the indigenous peoples of America, Martinique and the lectures given in Haiti witness the profound impression made upon the poet by the universe, lands and beliefs of indigenous peoples.

Surrealist game of scholarly notation, 16 March 1946. 
Handwritten texts, 16 March 1946, between Havana and New Orleans. 
1 in-4° manuscript page by Breton in black ink and black pencil, on the back of headed notepaper for the Compagnie générale transatlantique.

Horizontally, 4 initials E., A., T., C. (E for Elisa Breton, A for André, T and C for two other unidentified participants). 
Vertically, the names of places or cities: Fort-de-France... Silver-City... Saint Thomas (Virgin Islands), the Zuni lands... Port-au-Prince, and so on – all places visited by Breton and Elisa between June 1945 (the date of their marriage in Reno), January-February 1946 at Port-au-Prince, where Wifredo Lam’s exhibition was held, and March 1946 at Fort-de-France, where Breton delivered three lectures. All of these places are given a score of between - 10 and + 39. [Auction catalogue, 2003]

Bibliography

André Breton (Édition de Marguerite Bonnet avec la collaboration de Philippe Bernier, Marie-Claire Dumas, Étienne-Alain Hubert et José Pierre), Chronologie, Œuvres complètes, tome III, Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, Paris, Gallimard, 1999, pages XXVIII et XXIX.