In this Book
- René Magritte: Selected Writings
- Book
- 2016
- Published by: University of Minnesota Press
Available for the first time in an English translation, this selection of René Magritte’s writings gives non-Francophone readers the chance to encounter the many incarnations of the renowned Belgian painter—the artist, the man, the aspiring noirist, the fire-breathing theorist—in his own words. Through whimsical personal letters, biting apologia, appreciations of fellow artists, pugnacious interviews, farcical film scripts, prose poems, manifestos, and much more, a new Magritte emerges: part Surrealist, part literalist, part celebrity, part rascal.While this book is sure to appeal to admirers of Magritte’s art and those who are curious about his personal life, there is also much to delight readers interested in the history and theory of art, philosophy and politics, as well as lovers of creativity and the inner workings of a probing, inquisitive mind unrestricted by genre, medium, or fashion.
Table of Contents
- Editors’ Note on French Titles
- pp. ix-x
- The Double Agent: A Preface
- pp. xi-xiv
- Norine Blues
- p. 11
- Texts from 391
- p. 12
- Texts from Période
- p. 13
- Texts from Œsophage
- pp. 14-15
- Texts from Marie
- p. 16
- The Legs of the Sky
- p. 18
- Nick Carter
- p. 19
- Personal Experience
- pp. 20-21
- Notes on Fantômas
- p. 24
- “All Precautions…”
- p. 25
- “Her Heart Is Mine…”
- p. 26
- The Colours of the Night
- pp. 27-29
- “Communal Action…”
- p. 30
- Words and Images
- pp. 33-34
- Space of a Thought
- pp. 35-41
- Surrealist Games
- pp. 43-44
- Ariadne’s Thread
- p. 45
- Georges Braque
- pp. 48-49
- London Lecture
- pp. 51-55
- “My Dear…”
- p. 56
- “Dear Jef…”
- p. 57
- Bourgeois Art
- pp. 68-69
- “R.M. Has Changed…”
- p. 71
- Magic Lines
- p. 73
- Homage to James Ensor
- pp. 74-75
- Three Pamphlets
- pp. 76-78
- Le Jour nul des Poètes
- pp. 84-88
- Le Savoir Vivre
- p. 103
- Magritte Interviewed by Louis Quiévreux
- pp. 108-109
- “Aesthetic Pleasure…”
- pp. 110-111
- Magritte Interviewed by André Gomez
- pp. 117-120
- The Real Art of Painting
- pp. 121-124
- The Call of Blood
- p. 125
- Letter to Micro-Magazine
- p. 126
- Henri Heerbrant
- p. 127
- Battle of Wits
- pp. 128-132
- The Condemned Man
- p. 134
- “A Man of the People…”
- p. 135
- “It Is Difficult…”
- p. 136
- Two of a Kind
- p. 137
- “I Am Thinking about…”
- p. 140
- “Evidence…”
- p. 143
- Nat Pinkerton
- p. 144
- M.’s Useless Painting
- pp. 145-146
- On Jane Graverol
- p. 147
- The Reconciliation
- p. 148
- “Mallarmé’s Death…”
- p. 149
- Autobiographical Sketch
- pp. 151-153
- Thought and Images
- pp. 154-156
- Magritte Interviewed by Jean Stévo (I)
- pp. 157-158
- Reply to the Questionnaire: “Does Thought…”
- pp. 159-160
- A Poetic Art
- p. 161
- The End of the Octroi
- p. 162
- Variants of Sadness
- pp. 163-165
- The Ignorant Fairy
- p. 166
- L’Empire des Lumières
- p. 167
- Aphorisms (Dated)
- pp. 168-172
- “A Judgement on Art…”
- pp. 175-176
- “Surrealism…”
- p. 177
- Nature and Mystery
- p. 181
- Magritte Interviewed by Georges d’Amphoux
- pp. 182-185
- “Max Ernst’s Painting…”
- p. 187
- Magritte Interviewed by Jean Stévo (II)
- pp. 188-189
- Likeness (Liège version)
- pp. 193-194
- “Mystery Is Not…”
- p. 195
- The Question of Words
- p. 196
- Jan Walravens: Meeting with Magritte
- pp. 198-202
- “It Is a Fallacy...”
- p. 203
- “Psychoanalysis…”
- p. 204
- Magritte Interviewed by Michel Géoris
- pp. 205-208
- Magritte Interviewed by Marcel Fryns (I)
- pp. 209-210
- Object Lesson
- p. 211
- “Inspired Thought…”
- p. 212
- “People Cannot Know…”
- p. 213
- Magritte Interviewed by Marcel Fryns (II)
- pp. 215-216
- Magritte Interviewed by Jacques Goossens
- pp. 217-222
- Magritte Interviewed by Guy Mertens
- pp. 223-225
- Message to the Sea
- p. 227
- “Nausea Takes Me…”
- p. 228
- Magritte Interviewed by Carl Waï
- pp. 229-231
- The Test of the Title
- p. 232
- Letter to Serge Creuz
- p. 233
- Undated Texts I
- p. 234
- Undated Texts II
- p. 235
- Undated Texts III. Prey for the Shade
- pp. 236-239
- Undated Texts IV
- p. 240
- Undated Texts V
- p. 241
- Knowledge of the World
- pp. 253-259