Le Sang des dieux: poèmes par Alexandre Burin et Pascal Noir (review)

This republication of Jean Lorrain's first collection of verse since 1920 is a timely addition to the burgeoning rediscovery of Lorrain as an author who, while acclaimed by his peers, has languished in literary criticism of late. Just as the original intent of Lorrain in publishing his anthology was to cement his credentials as a leading Decadent alongside the other 'gods' of his literary milieu, so Alexandre Burin and Pascal Noir seek to return him to his pedestal by publishing his often neglected poetry in L'Harmattan's series reclaiming lost works. Both editors have published prolifically on Lorrain. Burin's work on the interplay of fragmentation, performance, and survivance in the works of Lorrain informs the expertly researched contextual preface, 'Naissance du rapsode', which draws on contemporaneous journalism and correspondence, as well as criticism to illustrate the author's intent. The influence of Noir's extensive work on Decadent literature, including several critical editions of works by Lorrain and Barbey d'Aurevilly, is felt in this volume's success in making accessible an obscure world of Lorrainian references. The impressive bibliography concerning primary texts, correspondence, and critical works provides an additional facet with which to understand this author. Divided into three distinct sections, the volume begins with the 'Legendes dorées' of the femmes fatales of classical and Arthurian legend, culminating with an extended exploration of the myth of Lorelei, whose story of death and suffering is hauntingly illustrated with sketches by Antoine Calbet, Luděk Marold, and Mittis. In 'Parfums anciens', we are met with images of nature, nostalgia, and the fear of the New Woman, despite numerous dedications to women including Lorrain's own mother. This section marks a transition from the femmes fatales of the previous section to the ephebes of the next, featuring poems that deal with androgyny, and homosexuality, which the editors unearth in references to figures such as 'un mignon du temps des Valois' (p. 110). Here, as throughout the edition, the detailed research undertaken highlights not only classical and mythological allusions, but also contemporaneous, interdisciplinary connections between Lorrain and other writers, artists, and musicians, situating him within a fraternité des arts. The third and final section, from which the anthology takes its name, leads us through a transitional exploration of the classical ephebe—'des êtres sans sexe et sans nom' (p. 125)—that bridges the gap between the femmes fatales of the two previous sections and 'les dieux' of the third. In this way Lorrain positions himself as the eromenos to the poetic erastes, as did the ephebes to the Gods—presenting us with a tome that begins and ends with a rhapsody, a form of poetry which the editors astutely attribute to Orpheus, the eternal poet. Overall, this edition represents an invaluable addition to the study of Decadence, gender, and sexuality, with a particular focus on the assertion and creation of a literary identity, and as such will be of interest to many dix-neuviémistes, especially those who focus on the gendered crises of the fin de siècle.