University of Kentucky UKnowledge French and Francophone Literature European Languages and Literatures 2000 Beckett in Black and Red: The Translations for Nancy Cunard's Negro Alan Warren Friedman University of Texas Click here to let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Thanks to the University of Kentucky Libraries and the University Press of Kentucky, this book is freely available to current faculty, students, and staff at the University of Kentucky. Find other University of Kentucky Books at uknowledge.uky.edu/upk. For more information, please contact UKnowledge at [email protected]. Recommended Citation Friedman, Alan Warren, "Beckett in Black and Red: The Translations for Nancy Cunard's Negro" (2000). French and Francophone Literature. 10. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_french_and_francophone_literature/10 IRISH LITERATURE, HISTORY, AND CULTURE Jonathan Allison, General Editor Advisory Board George Bornstein, University of Michigan Elizabeth Butler Cullingford, University of Texas James S. Donnelly Jr., University ofWisconsin Marianne Elliott, University of Liverpool Roy Foster, Hertford College, Oxford David Lloyd, Scripps College Weldon Thornton, University of North Carolina This page intentionally left blank BECI<ETT . In BLACIZ and The Translations for RED Nancy Cunard's NEGRO (1934) EDITED BY ALAN WARREN FRIEDMAN THE UNIVERSrrY PRESS OF KENIUCKY Publication of this volume was made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Copyright © 2000 by The University Press of Kentucky Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth, serving Bellarmine College, Berea College, Centre College of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, The Filson Club Historical Society, Georgetown College, Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University. All rights reserved. Editorial and Sales Offices: The University Press of Kentucky 663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508--4008 04 03 02 01 00 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Beckett in black and red: the translations for Nancy Cunard's Negro / [edited by] Alan Warren Friedman. p. cm. - (Irish literature, history, and culture) Contains Samuel Beckett's English translations of nineteen French essays and poems originally published in Negro: an anthology compiled by Nancy Cunard in 1934. "Extant French originals of the Becket translation" : p. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 978-0-8131-5629-3 1. Blacks. 2. Arts, Black. 3. Mrica-Civilization. 4. Mro- American arts. I. Beckett, Samuel, 1906- . II. Friedman, Alan Warren. III. Negro. IV. Series. CB235.B43 1999 909' .0496-dc21 99-12596 Contents List of Illustrations Vll Acknowledgments IX Introduction xi Foreword to Negro (1933): Nancy Cunard 1 TRANSLATIONS BY SAMUEL BECKETT "The Best Negro Jazz Orchestras," Robert Goffin 4 "Armstrong," Ernst Moerman 11 "Hot Jazz," Robert Goffin 13 "Summary of the History of Hayti," Jenner Bastien 17 "A Note on Haytian Culture," Ludovic Morin Lacombe 27 "The I<ing of Gonaives," Jacques Boulenger 29 "The Child in Guadeloupe," E. Flavia-Leopold 34 "Black and White in Brazil," Benjamin Peret 41 "Sambo without Tears," Georges Sadoul 49 "Murderous Humanitarianism," The Surrealist Group in Paris [Andre Breton, Roger Caillois, Rene Char, Rene Crevel, Paul Eluard, J.-M. Monnerot, Benjamin Peret, Yves Tanguy, Andre Thirion, Pierre Unik, Pierre Yoyotte] 56 "Races and Nations," Leon Pierre-Quint 60 "The Negress in the Brothel," Rene Crevel 69 "A Short Historical Survey ofMadagascar," J.J. Rabearivelo 74 "The Ancient Bronzes of Black Mrica," Charles Ratton 82 "Essay on Styles in the Statuary ofthe Congo," Henri Lavachery 90 "Magic and Initiation among the Peoples of Ubanghi-Shari," B.P. Feuilloley 99 '''Primitive' Life and Mentality," Raymond Michelet 108 "A Negro Empire: Belgium," E. Stiers 149 "French Imperialism at Work in Madagascar," Georges Citerne and Francis Jourdain 159 APPENDIX 1 Negro: An Anthology (1934): Contents 162 APPENDIX 2 Contributors to Negro Whose Work Beckett Translated 169 APPENDIX 3 Extant French Originals of the Beckett Translations: (a) Rene Crevel, "La Negresse des Bordels" 173 (b) B[ernard] P. Feuilloley, "La magie et l'initiation chez les peuples de l'Oubanghi-Shari" 177 (c) Henri Lavachery, "Essai sur les styles dans la statuaire du Congo" 179 (d) Ernst Moerman, "Armstrong," 186 (e) Benjamin Peret, "Noirs sur blancs. Introduction. (Frag­ ment)" 187 (f) Leon Pierre-Quint, "Races et Nations" 192 (g) Georges Sadoul, "Le Negre al'Usage des Enfants" 199 Index 204 Illustrations Nancy Cunard (co 1931) xii Nancy Cunard (1923) xiii Nancy Cunard and Henry Crowder at the Hours Press (1930) XIV Nancy Cunard with her Hours Press books (spring 1930) xv Nancy Cunard in Lamothe-Fenelon (August 1963) XX111 Louis Armstrong 10 Jenner Bastien 17 The Citadelle above Milot in Hayti 18 The royal Palace ofSans-Soucis in the early 19th century; ruins ofthe palace at present 23 La Ferriere-King Christophe's Citadel in Hayti 24 Toussaint L'Ouverture 25 Ludovic Morin Lacombe 27 Eo Flavia-Leopold 34 Brazilian Negroes dancing the Maxixe 47 "In his natural state the Negro is an assassin" 49 "The Negro is a drunkard"; "The Negro is a sloth"; "The Negro is a buffoon" 50 "The Negro is a soldier"; "The Negro is a cop" 51 "The Negro is a slave"; "The white man is kind to the Negro"; "But the white colonial will always be superior to the Negro" 52 "Children ofevery colour battle against capitalism side by side"; "How the white colonist treats the Negro child"; "The white child de­ fends the Negro child"; "From the ~merican Daily Worker'" 55 Colonial Negro tailor in a small factory in France 58 J 0 J 0 Rabearivelo 74 Sakalave warrior, Madagascar 76 Sakalave woman, Madagascar 78 Memorial post, Sakalave, Madagascar 79 A grave with carved wooden posts, S.W. Madagascar 81 Bronze warrior, 16th century, Benin, Nigeria 84 Mortuary figure of the Bakuni, Loango, French Congo 86 Snuffbox of the Badjok tribe, Belgian Congo 87 Ritual Altar for the ceremonies ofinitiation 103 Sa-ya-mali's hut; Sa-ya-mali the magician 106 Dinka place of sacrifice, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan 116 Luo magician, Uganda 129 Uncaptioned drawings 131 Didinga girls arriving at a dance, N. Uganda 140 Blast furnace at Ufipa, Tanganyka 144 Aclmowledgments This book had its genesis in my codirecting the dissertation of Holly A. McSpadden, "Crossing Racial Borders: Nancy Cunard's Political Mod­ ernisms," with my colleague and good friend, Susan Sage Heinzelman, and in many extensive and provocative conversations that included an­ other very active member of that dissertation committee, Jane Marcus. Jane's own stimulating and exciting recuperation ofwomen writers whose work has long been denigrated or ignored, especially her groundbreaking biographical study ofCunard, substantively informs this project and serves as model and exemplum. Edward Beckett, trustee for the Samuel Beckett estate, and Dr. An­ thony Hobson, literary executor for Nancy Cunard's estate, granted me unqualified permission to publish, respectively, all the Beckett materials and all the Cunard materials, both written and pictorial, included here. I gratefully acknowledge my major indebtedness to both ofthem. The Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas, granted me permission to quote from Nancy Cunard's "A Note on the Author [Raymond Michelet]," from her correspondence with Beckett, Charles Burkhart, Henry Crowder, Alain Locke, and Claude McKay, and from Beckett's letter to Thomas MacGreevy (8 November 1936). The Ransom Humanities Research Center also graciously allowed me to include, as appendix 3, the French originals ofthe essays by Rene Crevel, Bernard P. Feuilloley, Henri Lavachery, Benjamin Peret, Leon Pierre-Quint, and Georges Sadoul. I also received permission from Jerome Lindon of Les Editions de Minuit (Beckett's French publisher: Beckett's translations); Isabelle Dibie and Bertrand Fillaudeau ofLibrairie Jose Corti, Paris (Ben­ jamin Peret); Robert Delieu of Maison de la Poesie, Belgium (Ernst Moerman); George Melly, London (John Banting painting of Cunard); Gerard Paresys, Montreuil, France (Rene Crevel); Phototheque, Musee de l'Homme, Paris (the illustration "Memorial post, Sakalave, Madagas­ car"); Diana Lachatanere ofthe Schomburg Center, New York Public Li­ brary (for Claude McKay's trustees: to quote from McKay's letters to Cunard); the Board of Trinity College Library, Dublin (to quote from Samuel Beckett's letter to Thomas McGreevy, TCD MS 10402/21, 9 October 1931). I would also like to acknowledge any copyright holders and trustees I may have inadvertently overlooked or failed to reach; any such omission results not from indifference or lack of effort on my part, X ACKNOWLEDGMENTS but from running up against blank walls despite my attempts to locate them. My archival work has been generously assisted by Greg Finnegan, associate librarian for public services and head of reference, Tozzer Li­ brary at Harvard University; Julian Alexander Garforth, Beckett Archive, University of Reading, England; Felicity O'Mahony, assistant librarian, Manuscripts Department, Trinity College Library, Dublin; and especially Linda Ashton and Andrea Bell ofthe Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University ofTexas, Austin. James Knowlson, Beckett's biographer, responded promptly and in