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Philippe Soupault (2 August 1897 – 12 March 1990) was a French writer and poet, novelist, critic, and political activist. He was active in
/ref> Soupault initiated the periodical '' Littérature'' together with writers Breton and Louis Aragon in Paris in 1919, which, for many, marks the beginnings of Surrealism. The first book of
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/ref> Soupault directed Radio Tunis from 1937 until 1940, when he was arrested by the pro-Vichy regime. After imprisonment by the Nazis in Tunis during
Philippe Soupault (2 August 1897 – 12 March 1990) was a French writer and poet, novelist, critic, and political activist. He was active in Dadaism
Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (Zurich), Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 192 ...
and later was instrumental in founding the Surrealist
Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...
movement with André Breton.Philippe Soupault in the Encyclopædia Britannica/ref> Soupault initiated the periodical '' Littérature'' together with writers Breton and Louis Aragon in Paris in 1919, which, for many, marks the beginnings of Surrealism. The first book of
automatic writing
Automatic writing, also called psychography, is a claimed psychic ability allowing a person to produce written words without consciously writing. Practitioners engage in automatic writing by holding a writing instrument and allowing alleged spir ...
, '' Les Champs magnétiques'' (1920), was co-authored by Soupault and Breton.
Biography
In 1922 he was asked to reinvent the literary magazine ''Les Écrits nouveaux
''Les Écrits nouveaux'' was a literary magazine founded in 1917 and published until 1922.
''Les Écrits nouveaux'' was edited by Émile-Paul and , the cousin of Roger Martin du Gard, while the editorial board was made up of Edmond Jaloux, Vale ...
'', for which he also created an editorial board. In 1927 Soupault, with the help of his then wife Marie-Louise, translated William Blake
William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...
's ''Songs of Innocence and Experience
''Songs of Innocence and of Experience'' is a collection of illustrated poems by William Blake. It appeared in two phases: a few first copies were printed and illuminated by Blake himself in 1789; five years later, he bound these poems with a ...
'' into French. The next year, Soupault authored a monograph on Blake, arguing the poet was a "genius" whose work anticipated the Surrealist movement in literature.
In 1933 at a reception at the Soviet Embassy in Paris, he met Ré Richter, and they decided to do some travel reportage together. Ré Richter's photographs, taken with her 6x6 Rolleiflex
Rolleiflex is the name of a long-running and diverse line of high-end cameras originally made by the German company Franke & Heidecke, and later Rollei-Werke.
History
The "Rolleiflex" name is most commonly used to refer to Rollei's premier ...
, were to be published alongside Philippe Soupault's literary texts. In the following years, the two of them continued in the same vein, travelling to Germany, Switzerland, England, Scandinavia and Tunisia. They married in 1937 and separated after the end of the war; he moved back to Europe, and she remained in New York for some time./ref> Soupault directed Radio Tunis from 1937 until 1940, when he was arrested by the pro-Vichy regime. After imprisonment by the Nazis in Tunis during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, he and his wife fled to Algiers. From there, they traveled to the United States. He took a teaching position at Swarthmore College, but returned subsequently to France in October 1945.Keith Aspley, "Soupault, Philippe", in ''Historical dictionary of surrealism.'' Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2010. (pp. 446–48) His works include large volumes of poetry such as ''Aquarium'' (1917) and ''Rose des vents'' (Compass Card) (1920), and the novel ''Les Dernières Nuits de Paris'' (1928; tr. Last Nights of Paris, 1929).
In 1957, he wrote the libretto for Germaine Tailleferre's opera ''La Petite Sirène'', based on Hans Christian Andersen's tale "The Little Mermaid
"The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a ...
". The work was broadcast by French Radio National in 1959.
Legacy
In 1990, the year Soupault died,Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
n rock band Bjesovi
Bjesovi ( sr-cyr, Бјесови; trans. ''The Demons'') are a Serbian alternative rock band formed in Gornji Milanovac in 1989. The band was one of the most notable acts of the 1990s Rock music in Serbia, Serbian rock scene.
Formed in 1989 by voc ...
recorded their version of his poem ''Georgia'' in Serbian.
Soupault's short story "Death of Nick Carter" was translated by Robin Walz in 2007, and published in issue 24 of the '' McSweeney's Quarterly''. In 2016, City Lights Bookstore
City Lights is an independent bookstore-publisher combination in San Francisco, California, that specializes in world literature, the arts, and progressive politics. It also houses the nonprofit City Lights Foundation, which publishes selected ti ...
published a book of his essays entitled ''Lost Profiles: Memoirs of Cubism, Dada, and Surrealism'' as translated by Alan Bernheimer.
Works
* ''Aquarium'' (1917) * ''Rose des vents'' (1919) * '' Les Champs magnétiques'', (1919, in association with A. Breton) * ''L’Invitation au suicide'' (1921) * ''Westwego'' (1922) * ''Le Bon Apôtre'' (1923, novel) * ''Les Frères Durandeau'' (1924, novel) * ''Georgia'' (1926) * ''Le Nègre'' (1927, novel) * ''Les Dernières Nuits de Paris'' (1928, novel). * ''Le Grand Homme'' (1929, novel) * ''Les Moribonds'' (1934, autobiographical novel) * ''Il y a un océan'' (1936) * ''Odes à Londres bombardée'' (1944) * ''Le Temps des assassins'' (1945, sequel of autobiography) * ''Odes'' (1946) * ''L’Arme secrète'' (1946) * ''Message de l'île déserte'' (1947) * ''Chansons'' (1949) * ''Sans phrases'' (1953) * ''Profils perdus'' (1963) ** ''Lost Profiles: Memoirs of Cubism, Dada, and Surrealism. Translated from the French by Alan Bernheimer'' (City Lights Publishers), 2016 * ''Arc-en-ciel'' (1979) * ''Mémoires de l’oubli'' (1981, autobiography) * ''Poèmes retrouvés'' (1982)References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Soupault, Philippe 1897 births 1990 deaths People from Chaville Dada French surrealist writers Surrealist poets 20th-century French poets 20th-century French novelists French critics French opera librettists Swarthmore College faculty French male poets French male novelists French male short story writers French short story writers French male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights 20th-century short story writers 20th-century French male writers French male non-fiction writers