The rebellious and libertarian thought of René Magritte. 1959.

René Magritte (1898-1967)

Autograph letter signed by his friend André Bosmans.

One page in-8°. November 8, 1959.

"My thought, in its rebellious aspect, that is to say, its freedom, will never agree with a usage where corpuscles and shards are considered possible in poetry."

A fine critical letter on his friend's work, The Base of the Night.

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“ Dear friend, I thank you for sending me your first collection of poems. 'Nothingness is the only great wonder of the world,' and many other thoughts, always resemble the world and what makes it exist. One of these thoughts—absolutely admirable: 'We launch thought in the form of muddy earth'—designates a world that resembles thought subjected to uses (scientific, for example)—which are nonetheless, all things considered, quite naive.”

My thought, in its unsubmissive, that is to say, free, aspect, will never conform to a usage where corpuscles and ellipses are supposedly possible in poetry. Fortunately, our thought is almost always unsubmissive to such a usage. You will agree, I believe, that "The Base of Night" should be sent (if you would be so kind, with a dedication) to Mr. Harry Toreygner, Attorney at Law – 521 Fifth Avenue – New York 17 NY – USA (form the numbers one by one with an I (and not with a 1, which is understood in the USA as a 7). Yours very sincerely, René Magritte

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André BOSMANS (1922.2014), a poet from Liège and an admirer of Magritte, wrote to the latter to express his esteem in August 1958. This first letter was the beginning of an intense correspondence.

In 1961, Bosmans founded the journal Rhétorique , which served as a platform for Magritte. Bosmans remained loyal to the painter, and their 400 letters were published in their entirety in 1990.