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Sleeping fit by Rrose Selavy

First hypnotic sleeping fits

Manuscript

Author

Author Robert Desnos
People cited Germaine Everling, André Breton

Description

Sleeping fit by Rrose Sélavy - Robert Desnos - of 16 October 1922 transcribed by André Breton.

Offered here are some more of the unique creations by Rrose Sélavy - Robert Desnos – on a loose sheet; they obey that law of ‘mathematical rigour (the displacement of a letter within a word, swapping syllables between two words, etc.)’ described by Breton in 1922 (‘Les Mots sans rides’, in Les Pas perdus), but not, as he noted at the time, bereft of that ‘comic element assumed to be inherent in the genre and that was enough for it to be discredited’. Looking back thirty years later at these works, he would admit that a degree of triviality can sometimes be found in them. As he himself noted, what was wonderful about them was rather Desnos’ dizzying rate of creation; this, he added, is scarcely anything to do with literature.  

First hypnotic sleeping fits.
16 October 1922: 1 in-4° manuscript page by Breton in black pencil:
‘Travelling lover on the map of Tendre [la carte du tendre] why feed your nights with a tart of ashes [une tarte de cendre] (49).
R.S. is amazed that the contagion of relics should be born of the catholic religion (56).’