Henri Michaux | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 24 May 1899 Namur, Belgium |
| Died | 19 October 1984 (aged 85) Paris, France |
| Occupation | Poet, journalist and painter |
| Citizenship | Belgian, French (from 1955) |
| Genre | Surrealism, asemic writing |
| Notable works | My Properties (1929); Plume (1938); Miserable Miracle: Mescaline (1956). |
Henri Michaux (French: [ɑ̃ʁi miʃo]; 24 May 1899, Namur – 19 October 1984, Paris) was a Belgian-born French poet, writer and painter. Michaux is renowned[1] for his strange, highly original poetry and prose, and also for his art: the Paris Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum in New York had major shows of his work in 1978 (see below, Visual Arts). His autobiographical texts that chronicle his psychedelic experiments with LSD and mescaline include Miserable Miracle and The Major Ordeals of the Mind and the Countless Minor Ones.[2] He is recognised for his idiosyncratic travelogues and books of art criticism. Michaux is also known for his stories about Plume – "a peaceable man"[3] – perhaps the most unenterprising hero in the history of literature, a character subject to many misfortunes.
His poetic works have often been republished in France, where they are studied along with major poets of French literature. In 1955 he became a citizen of France,[4] and he lived the rest of his life there. He became a friend of Romanian pessimist philosopher Emil Cioran around the same time, along with other literary luminaries in France. [5] In 1965 he won the grand prix national des Lettres, which he refused to accept, as he did every honor he was accorded in his life.[citation needed]
Japanese animator Ryo Orikasa adapted Michaux's poetry for the 2023 short film Miserable Miracle, winner of the top animated short prize at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.[6]
- ^ "His work is without equal in the literature of our time." Jose Luis Borges, Darkness Moves: An Henri Michaux Anthology 1927-1984, p. ix. ISBN 9780520212299
- ^ Paz, Octavio (9 August 2002). "Journeys into the Abyss". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ John T. Hamilton, "France/Kafka: An Author in Theory" - New Directions in German Studies (Bloomsbury Academic 2023; London/New York) p. 72; ISBN 9798765100363.
- ^ [1] Archived 26 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine "Henri Michaux, French painter and poet". Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ "Emil Cioran – A Century of Writers (1999) | Türkçe Altyazılı – YouTube". YouTube. 13 October 2015. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
- ^ Ramin Zahed, "Poetry in Motion: Ryo Orikasa’s ‘Miserable Miracle’ Animates the Musings of Henri Michaux". Animation Magazine, November 7, 2023.