Speaking East
The Strange and Enchanted Life of Isidore Isou
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Reaktion Books
Published:13th Sep '21
Should be back in stock very soon
Andrew Hussey's Speaking East explores Isidore Isou's life and the vibrant postwar Parisian art scene, highlighting Lettrism's significant cultural impact.
In Speaking East, Andrew Hussey takes readers on a captivating journey through the vibrant cultural landscape of postwar Paris, focusing on the life of Isidore Isou, a key figure in modern art. Surviving the Romanian Holocaust, Isou emerged in Paris to establish the avant-garde movement known as Lettrism, which bridged the gap between Dada, Surrealism, and the revolutionary fervor of May '68. His influence and charisma attracted a diverse group of followers who engaged in lively debates and artistic pursuits amidst the backdrop of the city's famous jazz clubs and cafes.
The narrative paints a vivid picture of the Left Bank, where Isou and his companions, often described as hooligans, challenged the status quo and mingled with the intellectual elite of Paris. Their escapades, filled with passionate discussions, artistic experimentation, and a carefree attitude toward life, reflect the dynamic spirit of the time. Speaking East captures the essence of an era when art and culture intersected in thrilling ways, and Isou emerged as a magnetic figure within this scene.
Through Hussey's insightful prose, readers gain a deeper understanding of Isou's impact on the art world and the cultural movements that shaped modernity. This account not only highlights Isou's contributions to Lettrism but also offers a broader perspective on the artistic revolutions that defined postwar Paris, making Speaking East an essential read for anyone interested in the intersection of art, culture, and history.
"Isou's life is at once tragic and farcical: a whirling reprise of all of the twentieth century's artistic avantgardes played out against the backdrop of Paris's Left Bank in its heyday. Hussey is the ideal chronicler, and his biography, with its exuberant prose, both channels Isou's restless creativity and positions it within the main currents of postwar French thought. Essential reading." -- Will Self, author of "The Quantity Theory of Insanity" and "Umbrella" "A sympathetic account of an extraordinary life. Hussey has the depth of historical understanding necessary to do justice both to Isidore Isou's glamorous, sometimes absurd, life as a hero of the Left Bank and to the horrors of the Romanian Holocaust he had escaped. This is an expertly told story about Paris, Europe, and the interplay of private passion and public trauma." -- Sebastian Faulks, author of "Birdsong"
ISBN: 9781789144925
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
324 pages