Artaud, Antonin (Eshleman, Clayton; Glass, Norman)

To Have Done With The Judgment of God (Sparrow No. 34)

Los Angeles, CA: Black Sparrow Press, 1975. First Edition. Black Sparrow Press was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1966 by John Martin in order to publish the works of Charles Bukowski (1920–1994) and other avant-garde authors. Black Sparrow holds a legendary position in the history of transgressive, experimental, underground literature. Among its many, many publications, perhaps the most coveted and lauded by poets and readers alike is the beloved series Sparrow. Sparrow printed poetry, fiction, essays, criticism, commentaries and reviews, with each issue focusing on a single author. Offered today is Sparrow 34: To Have Done With the Judgement of God (1975) by Antonin Artaud (1896–1948). Artaud was a French artist, poet, writer, dramatist, and essayist. Most critics believe that Artaud’s most noted contribution to drama theory is his “theater of cruelty,” an intense theatrical experience that combined elaborate props, magic tricks, special lighting, primitive gestures and articulations, and themes of rape, torture, and murder to shock the audience into confronting the base elements of life. Artaud’s creative abilities were developed, in part, as a means of therapy during the artist’s many hospitalizations for mental illness. While being treated in a hospital by Edouard Toulouse, Artaud was encouraged to express himself in poetry, which Toulouse later published in the journal Demain. Artaud’s life and his work, despite the efforts of psychotherapy, reflected his mental afflictions and were further complicated by his dependence on narcotics. At times he expressed faith in God; other times he denounced the Church and deified himself. He was also obsessed with the human body; he loathed the idea of sex and expressed a desire to separate himself from his sexual self. Artaud’s writing bled with a dark pathos, erudition, and a Dada-ist sensibility that feels as dream-like as it is brooding. To Have Done With the Judgment of God is a perfect encapsulation of Artaud’s dark style, as translated by the late American literary eminence, Clayton Eshleman (1935-2021) our dear friend, mentor, and curmudgeon-poet-soul-brother along with Norman Glass. From the collection of scholar, poet and our dear friend Robin Eichele (b. 1941), noted Mimeograph Revolutionary & co-founder (with the late, great John Sinclair [1941-2024]) of the Detroit Artists’ Workshop. Stapled wrappers. First & presumably only printing. In very fine condition with only the slightest wear to fine edges. Very Fine. [Item #7253]

Price: $30.00