Breytenbach, Breyten

Sinking Ship Blues with: Ephemera

ISBN: 0889620563
Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Oasis Publications, 1977. First Edition. Softcover. "(Breyten) Breytenbach has no ultimate truth to offer, no universal symbol to communicate. He has not prepared an aesthetic banquet for the senses, and there is no rhetoric in his visionary toasts. He shows unforgettably the plain facts of his panic paradise: Experiences of convulsion and passion, which he lived as a proud victim of his sensitivity, in a 'state of grace'." (from Introductory Note by Laurens Vancrevel, pg. 7) The landmark collection of poems by Breyten Breytenbach, the South African artist, writer & activist against apartheid who was imprisoned for his activities at the time of this publication. His unjust imprisonment provoked a worldwide outcry that finally resulted in his release during 1982, after seven years of martyrdom. Translated from the Afrikaans (white South African) language by Andre P. Brink, Ria Leigh-Loohuizen & Denis Hirson; & with frontispiece & several interior illustrations, disturbingly surreal, by Breytenbach. With introduction (quoted above) by Breytenbach's friend & supporter Laurens Vancrevel; introductory poem, "The Freedom Train," by iconic poet & publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti inspired by the poet & his plight; & publisher's afterword that begins: "This book is not published as a commercial enterprise but as a call for solidarity. Reading these texts anyone will understand the monstrous injustice that the imprisonment of Breytenbach implies." Small-format softcover original in sewn binding with glassine over covers & spine. This copy is from the library of Thomas Rain Crowe, the acclaimed poet & publisher who was at the center of the Baby Beat Generation/ Second San Francisco Renaissance during the 1970s (see our book, Starting from San Francisco, item No. 3071, Deluxe Edition No. 3075). The Baby Beats' activities then included impassioned activism on behalf of causes including the release of Breytenbach. Loosely included in this copy is an original flyer entitled "Bulletin of the Committee on the Breytenbach Case, Number 5, October 30, 1977," printed on both sides. This ephemera is a relic of the anti apartheid- free Breytenbach activism that Crowe & his Beat & Baby Beat cohorts including Ferlinghetti were engaging in, part & parcel of the volume & its purpose. A truly historic (yet perhaps more timely than ever) literary & cultural collectible with the most relevant association & provenance. In very fine condition with only light rubbing & occasional spotting to front, back covers & spine; light wear & a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; mild wear & several small chips, closed tears with very little loss of paper to glassine over-wrapping. Interior very fine with only tiny bumps at corners of a few page leaves. Ephemera in fine condition, folded horizontally & vertically into four panels/ eight sections with attendant creasing; very light rubbing & some mild creasing to surfaces; mild wear & a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners. Very Fine. [Item #3572]

Price: $60.00