Why Lettrism? the prose of Gracq, the drama of the by Guy-Ernest Debord atrocious cretin Pichette, and all the others. The cinema, in which the various Published in Potlatch #22, 9 September 1955. arrangements of scenarios are used as if they were harmonies, proclaims its future Translation 1997 by Luther Blissett and Not lies in the plagiarism of De Sica, and finds Bored!. novelty -- and, above all, exoticism -- in various Italian films in which poverty has 1 imposed a style of camerawork little different from the habits of Hollywood, but It seems necessary to define the post-war so long after S. M. Eisenstein. Furthermore, period in Europe as one of a generalized it is known that the scholars who otherwise failure of attempts at change, in the realm do not dance in caves have given of emotions as much as in the political themselves up to laborious realm. phenomenological refinements.

At the same time that spectacular technical Confronting this dismal and profitable inventions are multiplying the chances of mess, in which each repetition has its future constructions as well as the dangers disciples, each regression its admirers, each of still unresolved contradictions, one remake its fans, a single group shows witnesses a stagnation of social struggles, universal opposition and complete and, on the mental level, a complete contempt in the name of the historically reaction against the movements of necessary supercession of old values. A discovery that culminated around 1930 in kind of inventive optimism has taken the the association of the broadest demands place of refusal, affirming itself beyond with the practical means of imposing them. refusal. It is necessary to recognize the healthy role that Dada assumed in another From the rise of fascism to the second epoch, despite its very different intentions. World War, the exercise of revolutionary We may be told that it is not a very means has been deceptive and the intelligent project to restart Dadaism. But it regression of hopes linked to them has been is not a matter of re-doing Dadaism. The inevitable. very serious setback of revolutionary politics, linked to the glaring weakness of Following the incomplete liberation of 1944, the working-class aesthetic promoted by intellectual and artistic reaction broke out the same retrograde phase, has lead to everywhere. Abstract painting -- a simple confusion in every field, a confusion that moment of modern pictorial evolution in will soon have raged for thirty years. On which it only occupies a very meager place the spiritual level, the petit-bourgeoisie are -- is presented by all the publicity machines always in power. After several serious as the basis of a new aesthetic. The crises, its monopoly is even more extended alexandrine is dedicated to a proletarian than before: everything that is actually renaissance, in which the proletariat will imparted to the world -- whether it is become outmoded as a cultural form just as capitalist literature, social-realist literature, the quadriga and trireme have become a false formalist avant-garde that lives on outmoded as means of transport. The by- forms that have fallen into the public products of writing that had caused domain, or wormy and theosophical indignation, and that had not been ready, agonies of certain movements of recently are getting an ephemeral but resounding arrived emancipators -- entirely nurtures affirmation: the poetry of Prevert or Char, the petit-bourgeois spirit. Under pressure of the realities of the epoch, it is necessary to of evolution around emptiness, in a clear finish with this spirit. From this break from all human needs. perspective, all measures are good. The outrageous provocations that the Lettrist The usefulness of destroying formalism group has carried out or prepared (poetry from within is clear: it does not leave any reduced to letters, metagraphical recital, doubt that the intellectual disciplines, cinema without images) unleashes a fatal whatever interdependence they share with inflation in the arts. the rest of the movement of society, are subject to the relatively autonomous crises We therefore joined them without arising from the discoveries necessitated by hesitation. their proper determination as technique. To judge everything as a function of content, 2 as we are being invited to, is to return to judging acts as a function of their While always exercising a praiseworthy intentions. If it is certain that the intolerance toward the outside world, explanation of the normative character and around 1950 the Lettrist group fostered a persistent charm of various aesthetic fairly serious confusion of ideas among its periods must always be looked for members. alongside the content -- and the change in the times, or of contemporary necessities, Onomatopoeic poetry itself, having makes other contents touch us, leading to a appeared with Futurism and much later revision of the classification of the "great reaching a certain perfection with epochs" -- it is no less certain that the power Schwitters and some others, no longer was of a work during its own time would not of interest as the absolute systemization solely depend on its content. One can that was presented as the only poetry of the compare this process with that of fashion. moment, and so condemning all the other After half a century, for example, all forms to death and giving itself a short costumes belong to equally outdated shelf-life. Meanwhile, the consciousness of fashions, from which contemporary the true role we were allotted to play was sensibility can rediscover all sorts of neglected by many in favor of an infantile appearances. But everyone notices the conception of genius and fame. ridiculousness of the feminine bearing of 10 years ago. The tendency still in the majority saw the creation of new forms as the highest value Thus the "precious" movement, despite of all human activity. This belief in formal being obscured by the scholastic lies of the evolution without cause or end, other than Seventeenth Century -- and just as the in-itself, is the basis of bourgeois idealism forms of expression that they had invented, in the arts. (The imbecilic belief in which are as strange as can be to us today, immutable conceptual categories lead some are coming to be recognized as the ex-members of the group to an principal current of ideas of the "Grand Americanized mysticism.) Drawing Siecle" as a result of the need that we feel conclusions that an idiot such as Malraux for the constructive overthrow of all aspects didn't dare or know how to draw from of life -- uncovers the way that emergent essentially similar premises, the Lettrists' Capital contributed to this development rigorous application of the benefits of through behavior and decor (conversation experience brought about the definitive and strolling as privileged activities, and, in collapse of this formalist demeanor by architecture, the differentiation between taking it to its limit, the giddy acceleration living places, changes in the principles of decoration and furniture). On the contrary, Lettrist International (which regrouped the when Roger Vailland wrote "Beau Masque" extreme faction of the movement in the in a Stendalian tone, despite its almost shadow of a magazine of the same name) estimable content, it had only a passing distributed injurious texts at a press chance of pleasing as a prettily-made conference held by Chaplin. The aesthetic pastiche. That is to say, he, no doubt Lettrists, now in the minority, were not in contrary to his intentions, addressed solidarity with this action -- leading to a himself to intellectuals with outdated break that their lame excuses did not tastes. And the majority of criticism that succeed in postponing or subsequently foolishly attacked the content, praised the healing -- because, according to them, the prose style. creative role carried out by Chaplin in the cinema placed him beyond criticism. The We will return to this historical anecdote. rest of "revolutionary" opinion reproached us once again, because the work and person 3 of Chaplin still appeared to them to remain in a progressive perspective. Since then, From this fundamental opposition -- which many of these people have revised this is definitely the conflict of a sufficiently illusion. new way of living one's life against an ancient tradition of alienating it -- there To announce the senility of doctrines or the arise antagonisms of all sorts, which are people who have given their names to them provisionally smoothed out in view of is an urgent and easy task for those who general action that is amusing and that, have retained the taste for resolving the despite its awkwardnesses and most alluring questions posed by our day insufficiencies, is positive. and age. Whatever the impostures of the Lost Generation, which showed itself Certain ambiguities also arise from the between the last war and today, it is humor that some people place (and others condemned to debunk itself. Nevertheless, do not place) in their chosen affirmations having recognized the bankruptcy of the for their stupefying aspect. Although critical thought that these frauds have completely indifferent to any nominal found before them, Lettrism has survival through this or that famous contributed to their more rapid oblivion. It literature, we write so that our works -- is by no means strange that the presentation which are practically nonexistent -- remain of an Ionesco, re-making several scenic in history, with as much certainty as those excesses of Tzara thirty years later and histrionic people who would become twenty times more stupid, does not get a "eternal." What's more, we declare on all quarter of the distracted attention. There occasions that we are beautiful. The are several years to go before we reach the baseness of arguments that are presented to exaggerated corpse of Antonin Artaud. us in the film clubs and elsewhere do not give us the opportunity to reply seriously. 4 Elsewhere we continue to have plenty of them. The words we make up during this epoch unfortunately tend to limit us. Without a The crisis of Lettrism, announced by the doubt, the term "Lettrist" is a difficult semi-open opposition of the old farts to the description for people who have no experimental cinematography, which, to particular esteem for this kind of sound their discredit, they judged to be "unstylish" effect, and, except on the soundtrack of a violence, broke out in 1952 when the few films, have not made use of it. But the term "French" seems to give us exclusive everything to appear in the "New New links with this nation and its colonies. French Review" -- like clowns kindly Atheism has been qualified as "Christian," presenting their tricks because their quest "Jewish" or "Islamic" with disconcerting never leads anywhere -- they lament the ease. And we are obviously locked within a fact that they never find a place in this more or less refined "bourgeois" education, swamp, such as that of Etiemble (the if not such ideas, then at least such consideration that has even been granted to vocabulary, as well. Caillos) or the appointment of Aron.

Thus a good number of terms will be used There is even cause to believe that their last guardedly, despite the evolution of our ambition will be to found a little Judeo- researches and our usage (leading to plastic religion. With a bit of luck they will refinement) of many waves of followers: wind up as some sort of Father Divine, as Lettrist International, metagraphy and Mormons of aesthetic creation. other neologisms that excite the fury of all sorts of people. The first condition of our Let's pass on from these people who have agreement is to keep such people a long amused us in the past. The amusements way from us. that overtake a man are an exact measure of his mediocrity. Baseball or automatic It could be objected that we are propagating writing, what does it matter? The idea of an arbitrary, stupid and dishonest success, when it is not tied up with the confusion among the intellectual elite. We most simplistic desires, is inseparable from are confronted by people ready to ask us, a complete overthrow at the global level. "What exactly do you want?" with a The remnants of successful breakthroughs concerned and protective air that is always strongly resemble worse blocks. immediately destroyed by such a question. What we find more valuable in our actions But, in the certainty that no literary or is to succeed in undoing our many habits journalistic hack has seriously occupied and ingrained associations. It could be said him or herself with what we have been that it is rare enough for people to set their carrying out for a number of years, we life (that part of their life in which they are know that any confusion has in no way allowed a choice) in harmony with their been engendered by ourselves. And, on the feelings and views. It is good to be fanatic other hand, it pleases us. about certain things. At the beginning of the year, an orientalist-occultist magazine 5 spoke of us as "the most misty spirits, anemic theoreticians of the virus of Insofar as this "intellectual elite" of modern 'supercession,' otherwise purely of a verbal Europe has at hand today an effect." It is good that the effect of those approximation of intelligence and a who embarrass these creeps is not merely modicum of culture, the confusion of which verbal. Naturally, you do not have to we have spoken no longer holds sway. dynamite the bridges of the Ile de Louis to Those of our companions from years gone accentuate the insular character of this by who try once again to draw attention to locality or, on the opposite bank, to it or simply to live by their pens have complicate and embellish the brickwork of become idiotic in order to fool the world. the Bernard quay. We do what is most They sadly ruminate upon the same urgent with the limited resources we have attitudes that will be re-used more quickly at the moment. Thus, by contradicting by others. They don't know how a method various meatheads who approach us, by of renewal refreshes life. Ready to abandon putting to a quick end the confusionist attempts at "joint action" with us, by The Lettrists who have been cast aside completely doing without indulgence, we begin to make quite a large number. But prove to those same individuals the there are infinitely more people who live necessary existence of the virus in question. and die without ever having a chance to But, if we are ill, our detractors are dead. understand and take part. From this point While on this subject, let us clarify an of view, each person is responsible for attitude that certain people, among the whatever talents they have. Should we put most avoidable, have reproached us for: up with pathetic individual resignations namely the expulsion of not a few out of sentimental considerations? participants in the Lettrist International and the systematic allure obtained by this kind 6 of penalty. From the above, one will understand that In fact, we find it appropriate to take our business is not a literary school, a new positions rather close to all the aspects of form of expression, or a modernism. We are life that present themselves to us. Among concerned with a way of living that will all the positions that we take, some of them take place through explorations and are held dear by us, just as some of our provisional formulations, which are lines of research are held dear. All other themselves only exercised in a provisional modes of friendship, of worldly way. The nature of this enterprise forces us relationships, or even of good manners to work in a group and to show ourselves a leave us indifferent or disgusted. Objective little. We wait for many people and events shortcomings in this sort of agreement can that will come. We also have another great only be sanctioned by a break. It is better to force: we no longer wait for a mass of change one's friends than one's ideas. known activities, for individuals and institutions. In the final analysis, judgment is made according to the life that is led. The We have a lot to learn and we must promiscuities that the expelled people have experiment as much as possible with forms for the most part accepted or accepted of architecture as well as with rules of again, and the generally dishonest conduct. Nothing agitates us less than the arrangements that in extreme cases have elaboration of a doctrine: we are sufficiently been underwritten, give the exact degree of far from explaining ourselves, let alone gravity to our quickly resolved explaining those things that would support disagreements and perhaps to the a coherent system that would integrate the importance of our pact with each other as novelties that appear to us worthy of giving well. passion.

Far from defending ourselves from making However it is put, it will be understood that of these hostilities personal matters, we we must start with everything. It has also declare on the contrary that the idea that been said that humanity has never posed we have human relations obliges us to problems that it cannot resolve. make these issues personal in nature and determined by definite questions of ideas. [This text may be reproduced, imitated or Those who resign from the Lettrist cited without indication of the origin.] International condemn themselves: we have nothing to rage about and nothing to http://www.notbored.org/whylettrism.html excuse.