René Char et son siècle (review)

This collection of essays, arising from a 2007 international conference to commemorate the centenary of René Char's birth, aims to examine exactly how the poet made his mark on the twentieth century. Divided into six sections, the volume covers diverse aspects of his life and works; yet a thread is perceptible throughout, namely Char's intriguing relation to history — how it made him and how he made it through his writing. Section 1 contextualizes Char in literary terms, with Jean-Claude Matthieu's essay on the 'Page d'ascendants pour l'an 1964' (Char's 'conversation souveraine' with his forebears) and Didier Alexandre's study of Char's poetics. Meanwhile, Bertrand Marchal explores Char's vision of romanticism in which Hugo is both 'demolished' and 'liberated' by Baudelaire; and Olivier Belin traces Char's Surrealist connections, and his eventual departure from Breton's Group when he joined the Resistance, whose 'fraternités entières' inevitably eclipsed earlier, purely intellectual bonds. Char's belief in the unique, solitary nature of the poet is also given as a decisive factor in this disaffection; yet certain Surrealist principles seem to have remained strong in him. The second section focuses on the specific philosophical influences on Char, such as Heidegger (a deep-rooted connection, Françoise Dastur contends, that helps to explain Char's reluctance to condemn Heidegger's association with early Nazi politics). Camus, another influence, spoke highly of Char's poetry but failed, according to Michel Jarrety, to appreciate the full substance of Char's work. Patrick Née uncovers the deep resonances of Nietzsche in Char, and Christine Dupouy reveals the convergences between Char and Blanchot. Section 3 focuses on Char's poetic forms. Michel Murat suggests where Char's oeuvre sits within l'histoire des formes, and Dominique Combe analyses Char's poetic narratives, marked by brièveté and suggestiveness. Char's recueils, shaped through internal structure, love, war, and landscape, are the subject of Danièle Leclair's study, while Philippe Met considers the aesthetics of Char's only wartime work, the Feuillets d'Hypnos. The arts that shaped Char's oeuvre are the focus of Section 4, with Patrick Quillier's and Haydée Charbagi's intriguing studies of Char's musical consciousness. Antoine Coron, meanwhile, offers a detailed survey of Char's (ill-fated) parcours in film, using previously unpublished material, while Martine Créac'h explores the influences of artists such as Vieira da Silva, Picasso, and, especially, Braque on the poet. Char's political-historical encounters and their impact on his poetry form Section 5. Pierre Brunel considers myth in the Feuillets d'Hypnos, and Jean-Michel Maulpoix reads Char's maquis experience as key to his poetics and ethics. Next, Eric Marty examines the hypnotic, ecstatic principles underpinning the Feuillets, and Laure Michel asks how Char endeavoured to 'sortir de l'histoire', positing the importance of collective action in times of adversity. The final section offers insights into Char's contemporary influences. Jean-François Louette's exploration of Char's 'essentielle complicité' with Bataille is followed by Nathalie Froloff 's account of his postwar reception and by Stéphane Baquey's appraisal of Char's héritage, including persistent anti-Char sentiment in some circles. Lastly, Laurent Fourcaut and Valéry Hugotte investigate Char's influence on two next-generation poets, Fourcade and Dupin. This in-depth examination will long be an essential reference work for the study of René Char, and for scholars of twentieth-century poetry generally.