Robert Desnos: the Punishments of Hell

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Author: Robert DesnosIts protagonists are swept into violent journeys through Paris by train and steamship; fabulous events consume their everyday lives; oracles spout nonsense or wisdom. All of Desnos’ friends in the Paris Dada movement—André Breton, Louis Aragon and Benjamin Péret, among others—make an appearance, and all find a grave in the “cemetery” toward the end of the book, for the past must be buried (even though most of these now legendary names were then in their 20s and had barely made their mark).By the time this book was written, the Dada movement seemed played out, killed off by a mixture of public success, internal dissent and boredom with the predictability of its scandals. The Punishments of Hell lies between Dada and Surrealism, harking back to the belligerent obfuscation of, say, Tristan Tzara and overwhelming it with the savage lyricism for which Desnos would become known. ISBN 9780993148736. Atlas Press. pb. 160 pages.available Show more