Best known for his paintings and engravings, Félix Vallotton also wrote
several novels and plays, many of which remained unpublished, and which
are now collected in this volume. Vallotton was born in Lausanne in
1865. The son of a Vaudois industrial bourgeoisie, he began his artistic
journey at a very young age, specializing in engraving and painting. His
talented portraits quickly brought him a certain degree of renown. Close
to the artistic avant-garde, he joined the circle of authors of the
Revue Blanche, a journal closely associated with the libertarian circles
of the late 19th century-among them Bernard Lazare, Émile Pouget, Zo
d'Axa, and Octave Mirbeau. He also illustrated a number of articles
published in the libertarian press, such as those concerning the Paris
Commune and, later, the issue of Temps Nouveaux against the war. After
the Dreyfus Affair, during which he actively participated in the
Captain's defense, he devoted himself more intensely to painting. He
resumed his activism during the First World War, notably through six
engravings titled "This is War," which bear witness to the horrors of
the conflict. Until his death in 1925, he dedicated himself primarily to
painting. Alongside his artistic work, Vallotton wrote several novels
and plays later in life, which were published posthumously and are now
being reissued. The influence of Octave Mirbeau is strong in these
works. They embody protest through social satire, criticize bourgeois
society, and denounce the hypocrisy of marriage. The characters are
often desperate, though not a literary self-portrait of Vallotton. The
protagonist embodies a form of nonconformity and acerbic lucidity,
rejecting the hypocrisy of the world, the lack of solidarity, and
sometimes the absurdity of existence, as in his first novel, *La Vie
meurtrière* (The Murderous Life). His second novel, *Les Soupirs de
Cyprien Morus* (The Sighs of Cyprien Morus), is a scathing critique of
capitalist society-in which Vallotton sometimes falls into
stereotypes-explaining that ultimately everything is for sale: bodies,
literature, power... Finally, his last novel, *Corbehaut*, uses the
figure of the double and of lies to illustrate these themes. All of
these themes are also found in his plays.
While one might prefer the artist's engravings and paintings, the
publication of his texts brings new elements to our understanding of his
work and of a multifaceted man.
Novels and Plays
Félix Vallotton
Zoé éditions 1258 p. EUR39
https://monde-libertaire.net/?articlen=8668
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
several novels and plays, many of which remained unpublished, and which
are now collected in this volume. Vallotton was born in Lausanne in
1865. The son of a Vaudois industrial bourgeoisie, he began his artistic
journey at a very young age, specializing in engraving and painting. His
talented portraits quickly brought him a certain degree of renown. Close
to the artistic avant-garde, he joined the circle of authors of the
Revue Blanche, a journal closely associated with the libertarian circles
of the late 19th century-among them Bernard Lazare, Émile Pouget, Zo
d'Axa, and Octave Mirbeau. He also illustrated a number of articles
published in the libertarian press, such as those concerning the Paris
Commune and, later, the issue of Temps Nouveaux against the war. After
the Dreyfus Affair, during which he actively participated in the
Captain's defense, he devoted himself more intensely to painting. He
resumed his activism during the First World War, notably through six
engravings titled "This is War," which bear witness to the horrors of
the conflict. Until his death in 1925, he dedicated himself primarily to
painting. Alongside his artistic work, Vallotton wrote several novels
and plays later in life, which were published posthumously and are now
being reissued. The influence of Octave Mirbeau is strong in these
works. They embody protest through social satire, criticize bourgeois
society, and denounce the hypocrisy of marriage. The characters are
often desperate, though not a literary self-portrait of Vallotton. The
protagonist embodies a form of nonconformity and acerbic lucidity,
rejecting the hypocrisy of the world, the lack of solidarity, and
sometimes the absurdity of existence, as in his first novel, *La Vie
meurtrière* (The Murderous Life). His second novel, *Les Soupirs de
Cyprien Morus* (The Sighs of Cyprien Morus), is a scathing critique of
capitalist society-in which Vallotton sometimes falls into
stereotypes-explaining that ultimately everything is for sale: bodies,
literature, power... Finally, his last novel, *Corbehaut*, uses the
figure of the double and of lies to illustrate these themes. All of
these themes are also found in his plays.
While one might prefer the artist's engravings and paintings, the
publication of his texts brings new elements to our understanding of his
work and of a multifaceted man.
Novels and Plays
Félix Vallotton
Zoé éditions 1258 p. EUR39
https://monde-libertaire.net/?articlen=8668
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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