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Stroke by Stroke

Author Henri Michaux
Translated by Richard Sieburth
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Paperback
$16.00 US
New York Review Books | Archipelago
On sale May 10, 2006 | 160 Pages | 9780976395058
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Stroke by Stroke is a pairing of two of Henri Michaux’s most suggestive texts, Stroke by Stroke (Par des traits, 1984) and Grasp (Saisir, 1979), written towards the end of his life. Michaux’s ideogrammic ink drawings accompany his poetic explorations of animals, humans, and the origins of language. This series of verbal and pictorial gestures is at once explosive and contemplative. Michaux emerges at his most Zen.
As for living creatures and things, who has not wished to get a fuller, better, different grasp on them, not with words, not with phonemes or onomatopoeias, but with graphic signs?
Who has not wished at some point to create an abecedarium, a bestiary, or even an entire vocabulary, from which the verbal would be entirely excluded?
What if I tried my hand at it once again, opening myself in earnest to the creatures of the seen world?
Copyright © 2006 by Henri Michaux. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Henri Michaux (1899–1984) was born in Namur, Belgium, the son of a lawyer. After contemplating careers in the church and in medicine, Michaux enlisted in the French merchant marine and traveled around the world. These travels inspired his first two books, Ecuador and A Barbarian in Asia. After settling in Paris, Michaux devoted himself to writing and painting and was soon known all around France—and eventually the world—for his work in both disciplines. View titles by Henri Michaux

About

Stroke by Stroke is a pairing of two of Henri Michaux’s most suggestive texts, Stroke by Stroke (Par des traits, 1984) and Grasp (Saisir, 1979), written towards the end of his life. Michaux’s ideogrammic ink drawings accompany his poetic explorations of animals, humans, and the origins of language. This series of verbal and pictorial gestures is at once explosive and contemplative. Michaux emerges at his most Zen.

Excerpt

As for living creatures and things, who has not wished to get a fuller, better, different grasp on them, not with words, not with phonemes or onomatopoeias, but with graphic signs?
Who has not wished at some point to create an abecedarium, a bestiary, or even an entire vocabulary, from which the verbal would be entirely excluded?
What if I tried my hand at it once again, opening myself in earnest to the creatures of the seen world?
Copyright © 2006 by Henri Michaux. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Author

Henri Michaux (1899–1984) was born in Namur, Belgium, the son of a lawyer. After contemplating careers in the church and in medicine, Michaux enlisted in the French merchant marine and traveled around the world. These travels inspired his first two books, Ecuador and A Barbarian in Asia. After settling in Paris, Michaux devoted himself to writing and painting and was soon known all around France—and eventually the world—for his work in both disciplines. View titles by Henri Michaux

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