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  • Légende d'un dormeur éveillé by Gaëlle Nohant
  • Roland A. Champagne
Nohant, Gaëlle. Légende d'un dormeur éveillé. Héloïse d'Ormesson, 2017. ISBN 978-2-35087-419-7. Pp. 543.

Robert Desnos (1900–45) was a Surrealist artist unlike the others. His inspiration from a trip to Havana is the point of departure for this roman as Nohant subtitles it. The mixture of fact with fiction makes this an intriguing take on biography. The narrative is interspersed with highlighted selections from the writings of Desnos thus giving probable context to his poetry and prose. The backdrop of the working-class neighborhood of les Halles in Paris where he grew up is described in his own words as he initially assumes the role of tour guide in Paris for his lifetime Cuban friend Alejo Carpentier ("Carp"). Meanwhile, his heartthrob in the early twenties is the singer Yvonne George who shortly thereafter succumbs to tuberculosis. Yet for a while, Desnos and Yvonne enjoy a few tokes of opium. Nohant's portrayal of Desnos under the influence of the drug recalls the famous photograph of Desnos by Man Ray in Breton's Nadja (1927) wherein the eyes of Desnos capture him literally between wakefulness and sleep. This in-between realm of course recalls dream as a constant theme of his poetry. But this poet is not presented as ephemeral but substantial from his refusal to follow Breton's authoritarian leadership to the personal traits of his myopic vision, his lock of hair over his left eye, and his tendency to attach himself to impossible relationships. Desnos struggles throughout between Yvonne near death and the forever unfaithful and distant Youki. This latter is initially the painter Foujita's mistress and along with Man Ray's Kiki and Emmanuel Berl's courtesan Suzanne Menard attract him because of their commitments to others. My favorite anecdote about these beloved of Desnos is the one about Menard who was retrieved by Berl from a brothel and set up for himself in her own Parisian apartment where she is also courted by Breton while he is not yet divorced from his wife Simone. The many charming tales of the Surrealist intrigues herein make for entertaining reading. Desnos is also admired by Breton for being Surrealist before the group is formed. Man Ray selects Robert for a bit role in the film L'étoile de mer that is finished just in time for Desnos to play his role upon returning from Cuba with Carp. But there is so much [End Page 262] more intrigue, especially the rebellion of the Surrealists against Breton's attempts to impose his rituals and dogma for the group and then to excommunicate them as if he were the Pope of the Roman Catholic religion. The revolutionary stance of Surrealism continued to spark Desnos in his works with Jean-Louis Barrault, Jacques Prévert, René Crevel, and others who cooperated in artistic endeavors, especially after being expelled from those pursuing Breton's tightly constructed agenda. Nohant's style is to set up the narrative with alternating dialogues that allow the characters and their evolving relationships to present themselves. Her art articulately presents the settings, especially poignant during the Occupation, and juxtaposes the dialogues with appropriate selections from the publications of Desnos.

Roland A. Champagne
Trinity University (TX)
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