BRASILLACH, Robert. *Le Pays du silence*. - Lot 49

BRASILLACH, Robert. *Le Pays du silence*. 11 pages, in-4 format, typewritten in violet ink, and 3 pages, in-4 format, in black ink (title, quotation, and table of contents), mounted on tabs. Gray half-basane Bradel binding, smooth spine with title running lengthwise. Scuff marks on the spine. Typescript containing seven poems written between 1932 and 1933: “Tu viendras,” “Les deux voix,” “Bien mal acquis,” “La classe du Sommeil,” “La visite,” “Rencontre,” and “Le compagnon.” Each poem bears a handwritten date at the bottom. There are a few handwritten corrections and, notably for “Rencontre,” three changes to the text. Arrested at the Liberation for his active collaboration with the Nazi regime, Robert Brasillach (1909–1945) was sentenced to death in January 1945 despite a petition signed by numerous intellectuals on his behalf. It was there that he wrote these final poems. An incomplete, clandestine first edition was initially published in September 1945 under the pseudonym Robert Chénier and the title “Barreaux” (Éditions de Minuit et demi), comprising only the pieces written before his sentencing. The poems written in prison were then published separately and clandestinely in February 1946 in Geneva under the title “La Mort en face.” Finally, the first collection, titled “Poèmes de Fresnes,” which brings together all 26 poems, was published by La Pensée française. An excellent typescript, comparable to the edition published under the title *Barreaux*.