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The Artist's Novel
Caravansérail, 1924-2013
Book
, 18.6 x 13.2 cm, 200 p, language: French, publisher: Belfond, ISBN: 978-2714456595
ink, paper
Literary synopsis
Caravansérail, the only novel by Francis Picabia, was written in 1924, the year when the first Surrealist Manifesto appeared. To Breton’s dogmatic rigor, Picabia opposes his incorrigible easy, always choosing for freedom and life, which he crosses in a Mercedes at 150 km/h. ’I am alive’ would be the expression and ultimate distilation of the ideas expressed in this novel.
Relation of the novel to the artist’s practice
Autobiographical and roman à clef, Caravanserai presents as a series of caustic tableaux evoking the turmoil of avant-garde times. It includes Duchamp, Picasso, Breton, Eluard, Desnos, Vitrac, Aragon, Ernst, Cendrars, Cocteau, and others.
Novel's website
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