Hypnos

Notes from the French Resistance, 1943–44

By: René Char

Narrated by: Barry Clayton

Length: 1 hr and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Now available as an audiobook, René Char’s Hypnos is both a remarkable work of literature and a document of unique significance in the history of the French Resistance.

Hailed by the poet Paul Eluard as an "absolute masterpiece" upon its first appearance in 1946, René Char’s Hypnos is both a remarkable work of literature and a document of unique significance in the history of the French Resistance. Based on a journal Char kept during his time in the Maquis, it ranges in style from abrupt and sometimes enigmatic reflections, in which the poet seeks to establish compass bearings in the darkness of Occupied France, to narrative descriptions that throw into vivid relief the dramatic and often tragic nature of the issues he had to confront as the head of his Resistance network. A tribute to the individual men and women who fought at his side, this volume is also a meditation on the white magic of poetry and a celebration of the power of beauty to combat terror and transform our lives.

Translated into German by Paul Celan and into Italian by Vittorio Sereni, the book has never been carried over into English with the attention to style and detail that it deserves. Published in full here for the first time, this long-awaited new translation does justice at last to the incandescence and pathos of the original French.

©2014 Seagull Books London Limited (P)2022 Seagull Books London Limited

The Sum Exceeds Its Parts

Though written as brief notes, thoughts, and lyric lines of poetry, Hypnos forms a moving narrative. Char expresses his frustrations about political conflict and war, his insights, and desire for a more humble life.