Jean COCTEAU - Poème autographe - "l'accordéonaniste" - Inédit - 1952

Jean Cocteau - handwritten poem - the accordionist - Unpublished - 1952


Jean Cocteau was a French writer, poet, and filmmaker, born on July 5, 1889, and died on October 11, 1963. He is best known for his literary and cinematic works, notably the play 'Les Parents terribles' created in 1938. Cocteau is a major figure of surrealism and the French avant-garde, influencing many artists of his time.


Poem handwritten in blue ink on a single recto page. This text offers a preliminary version, sometimes different from the final version published in the collection Appogiatures (Éditions du Rocher, 1953).
Jean Cocteau began writing the poems of Appogiatures in July 1952 at Santo-Sospir, at Francine Weisweiller's house. Originally titled Flying Saucers, the collection was completed in August 1952 and includes 51 poems. Some discarded texts were published in The Complete Poetic Works of La Pléiade.

A draft of the accordionist appears in this manuscript and is an unpublished work by Cocteau: 'There is no shame / More exquisite than genius. [...] Virgins, look with a sad eye / Playing the accordionist'.


Sports report
A word has just taken the lead. A verb follows closely and requires the addition of the
Final point. But no! But no! A simple letter rushes to defeat the capital letter. The period.
He escapes. In a magnificent breakaway, a comma rises. The emptiness does not move at all.
The headword. As soon as he saw it, he realized it was not where it should be. He pushes the
Syllables to a rotating maneuver that turns into an offensive, an offensive to which
No one could have expected it, and it forces the rejection to lose balance. He falls.
Dragging the entire stanza into its fall. A real fight from which the deleted word springs forth.
and determine the others to get up and rush before the head speaks.
Perceives. The removed word passes to the left, and the referee announces a free kick in favor.
Of a rhyme that seemed to weaken. It regains its form. Unfortunately, it passes too quickly.
Top and the resumption lead to the adjectives that were waiting for an opportunity to play a role in.
the part




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