Francis Ponge - La Fabrique du pré - 1971

Francis Ponge. THE FABRIC OF THE MEADOW

Skira Editions, in the series “The Paths of Creation,” Geneva, 1971, (21.5 x 16.6 cm), 272 pages, illustrated cover with flaps.

22 black-and-color illustrations hors-texte.

Original edition in good condition, except for routine wear to the cover with small defects in the lamination on the boards and spine as is customary for this collection, interior in excellent condition.

Francis Ponge published The Fabric of the Meadow in 1971 with Skira Editions in Geneva, in the series “The Paths of Creation” directed by Albert Skira and Gaëtan Picon. This eleventh volume of the series is a composite object that presents the creation process of the poem “Le Pré” (initially published in 1964 in Tel Quel and in 1967 in Le Nouveau Recueil).

The work is structured around five textual and iconographic layers to illustrate Ponge’s “creative method”:
- A theoretical introduction on the notions of “creation” and “path.”
- The “fabric” proper, reproducing the manuscript of the poem in its chronological order (notably the October 1960 notes).
- The “definitive” text of the poem, printed on brown (havane) paper, in accordance with the author’s wish.
- The transcription of the manuscript, printed on green paper, reflecting the trial-and-error and the variation.
- A series of illustrations (engravings, photographs, reproductions of paintings) contributing to the debate between the arts.

The Paths of Creation collection, published by Éditions d’Art Albert Skira between 1969 and 1976, represents a unique publishing venture at the crossroads of the arts, literature, and visual thought. Directed by Albert Skira in collaboration with Gaëtan Picon, this collection gathers unpublished works by major writers, artists, and thinkers of the era, invited to explore their own creative process by mixing text and image.

The originality of the collection lies in its founding principle: each author is not only invited to write but also to illustrate his own work, either by creating original images or by selecting existing reproductions. This act of self-illustration transforms the image into a supplementary means of expression to the text, sometimes even in tension with it, creating a distinctive dialogue between the verbal and the visual.

Authors actively participated in the design of the layout, in close collaboration with the editorial team, which reinforced the artistic unity of every volume.