Great Liberty

This collection showcases Julien Gracq's Surrealist prose poetry, reflecting his wartime experiences and personal liberation through imaginative exploration in Great Liberty.

A previously untranslated gem of Surrealist prose poetry emerges from the acclaimed French novelist. In 1941, Julien Gracq, recently released from a German prisoner-of-war camp, created a series of prose poems that stand as the only distinctly Surrealist works in his body of writing. This form of expression allowed Gracq to counterbalance his unsettling wartime experiences, and his newfound freedom inspired a liberating approach to personal expression. He aptly titled the collection Great Liberty, noting that in the 'occult dictionary of Surrealism, the true name of poetry is liberation.'

In Great Liberty, Gracq showcases his identity as a poet rather than solely as a novelist. Surrealist elements intertwine with enchanting modernist romance, fantasy, dark humor, and deadpan absurdity. The collection is a vibrant tapestry of imaginative exploration, reflecting the complexities of human experience during and after war. A later section, titled 'The Habitable Earth,' presents Gracq as a visionary traveler, journeying through the Andes and Flanders while reconnecting with the narrative threads of his more widely recognized fiction.

Julien Gracq (1910–2007), born Louis Poirier, is celebrated for his dreamlike novels such as The Castle of Argol, A Dark Stranger, The Opposing Shore, and Balcony in the Forest. His close ties to the Surrealist movement, particularly with André Breton, informed his literary style and thematic explorations, making Great Liberty a significant addition to his oeuvre.