Dubliners by James Joyce

Dubliners, which is an excellent introduction to the work of James Joyce, is, by itself, one of the most important books of imaginative literature in English published since 1900.

Thus, Valery Larbaud concluded the preface that opens the original French edition of Dubliners, collection of fifteen short-stories published in 1914 (for the original English edition). James Joyce sets up portraits of people who have in common to live in the Irish capital, where the author is also born. We are far from folklore. As a clinician, James Joyce describes the lives of these characters, deals with various themes (family, alcohol, politics, religion). The most famous short-story is for sure  "The Dead" immortalized in 1987 by John Huston's film. We are in 1904, January 6. As every year, two sisters, Kate and Julia Morkan, and their niece Mary, receive relatives and friends to celebrate Epiphany. Among them is Gabriel Conroy, the nephew of the Morkan sisters, and his wife Gretta. From Gaelic poems reading to songs, dances and between dishes that follow one another, the guests maintain ploite conversations and begin to discuss the loved and dead ones, both famous and unknown.

Currently, the librairie Loliée offers : 

• JOYCE (James). Gens de Dublin. Traduit de l'anglais par Yva Fernandez, Hélène du Pasquier, Jacques-Paul Reynaud. Préface de Valéry Larbaud. Paris, Plon, collection d'auteurs étrangers, 1926, in-12, broché, case. First French edition.

Jacques Prévert, the antifascist

La Crosse en l'air, indictment of the collusion of Church and fascist ideology, is part of the famous collection Paroles (1946). But the original edition of this "feuilleton" is from 1936, published by les Editions Soutes. This was the period of the Popular Front, the Spanish Civil War. Jacques Prévert, since 1932, is part of the Groupe Octobre, a theater company, for which he wrote plays and spoken choirs. If he is not a member of the Communist Party, he joined the revolutionary struggle. La Crosse en l'air, whom title is quote from the Internationale, provides a series of virulent humorous portraits, figures from Paris and Rome, during a the journey of a funny night watchman who goes tell the Pope what he trully thinks.

Below, this famous text told by  Serge Reggiani, who was also a member of the Groupe Octobre.

Currently, the librairie Loliée offers :

• PREVERT (Jacques). La Crosse en l’air. Feuilleton. Paris, Éditions Soutes, 1936, booklet in-12, Rare first edition.

Catalogue : a N.R.F/Gallimard selection

As a tribute to Gallimard, which celebrate their 100th anniversary this year, especially to the N.R.F. collection, our bookshop offers a selection of books published in the format in-4 tellière, a special format used in the beginning of the previous century.

a N.R.F selection