BERNA, Serge. Écrits et documents. n.p. [Paris]: Éditions du Sandre, 2024. 200 p.; ill.; 31 x 21 cm.

Jean-Louis Rançon edited a delightful volume on the life and works of a little know, almost mythical figure of the Lettrist movement: Serge Berna. A delightful read. Below is an English language translation of the editor’s summary:

Little is known about the life of Serge Berna, both poet and thug. Born in Venice in 1924, he gained notoriety in Saint-Germain-des-Prés and beyond when, at the age of twenty-five, he penned the proclamation of the Death of God, which was pronounced in the middle of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. This volume collects Berna’s writings published in periodicals (“Ur”, “Ion”, “Le Soleil noir”, “En Marge”) between 1950 and 1955. This is also the period in which Berna founded the Club des Ratés (Losers’ Club) and then actively participated in the Lettrist movement, first as a member of the full group led by Isidore Isou, then within the Internationale Lettriste with Jean-Louis Brau, Guy Debord and Gil J Wolman. These “Writing and Documents” also feature his preface to “Vie et mort de Satan le Feu” (“The Death of Satan”) by Antonin Artaud, whose manuscripts Berna had discovered, as well as some unpublished plays. Berna’s “influential novel-film” -a 78-page manuscript-collage – appears in print here for the first time, as does his correspondence with Wolman, Debord, Koenig, Mariën, Magritte, Bazin, Étiemble, Breton. His legal disputes and prison stays are also covered, until we lose all trace of his whereabouts in the 1970s.

For more details, see Francois Coadou’s excellent article (in French) dated 21 May 2024 here: https://www.en-attendant-nadeau.fr/2024/05/21/un-besoin-fou-de-vivre-serge-berna/

VANEIGEM, Raoul. [La Résistance au christianisme. Les Hérésies, des origines au XVIIIe siècle] Resistance to Christianity: A Chronological Encyclopedia of Heresy from the Beginning to the Eighteenth Century. Trans. Bill Brown. London: Eris, 2023. 744 p.; 15 x 23 cm.

English translation of Vaneigem’s monumental work, which explores the hidden corners of Christianity. The authors sheds light on marginalized doctrines and repressed movements, from the radical Gnostics to the Millenarists and the Jansenists. In doing so, he invites readers to consider ways in which Christian orthodoxy established itself.

Translator Bill Brown initially published an online translation from 1993. 30 years later, this translation has been extensively revised and brought to print. Resistance to Christianity can be ordered directly through its publisher, Eris (see here), Columbia University Press (see here), or your favorite bookseller

As part of the NY Art Book Fair, there will be a conversation between Ben Morea (Black Mask, Up Against the Wall Motherfucker) and Donald Nicholson Smith (King Mob, Situationist International). Details below.

MATTHEWS, Airea D. Bread and Circus. New York: Scribner, May 2023. 96 p.; ill.; 23 x 15 cm.; ill blue dust jacket with text in white and black.

In this short of but mighty book, Airea D. Matthews gifts us with a book that seamlessly transcends genres. Part memoire, part volume of poetry, and part activist manifesto, Bread and Circus defies traditional categorization. This is no surprise coming from Philadelphia’s current poet laureate : after all, she trained in Creative Writing, but also in Public Policy as well as in Economics. Several poems are a detournement of Guy Debord, while others turns Adam Smith on its head. Matthews accomplishes this feat by taking an inspiration from visual and typographical techniques inspired by Dada, Futurists, and concrete poetry, among others. An astonishing book in the Situationist vein, that leaves the reader wishing for more. A must read!

DEBORD, Guy. Untitled. 10 x 15 cm; mixed technique on postcard. Signed “guy” and postmarked 11/04/1981

Spectacular metagraphie by Guy Debord, in the pure Situationist tradition. It was mailed to Michele Mochot-Bréhat, nicknamed “La Tortue” by Debord.

Debord met Mochot-Bréhat in Cannes in 1953. She is featured in the film Sur le passage de quelques personnes à travers une assez courte unité de temps (On the Passage of a Few Persons Through a Rather Brief Unity of Time) in 1959, then appears as the character of “Carole” in Michele Bernstein’s novel Tous les chevaux du Roi (All the King’s Horses) the following year. Mochot-Bréhat would remain close with the Debord couple through the 1980s – her letters leave no doubt as to their nature of their relationship…

Announcing a new book by Vasilis Grollios; see below for details.

RUMNEY, Ralph. Untitled. 72 x 41 cm; Collage on board. Signed with initials and dated ’23.i.84/R.R’ (lower center).

Provenance: The artist, by whom gifted to the present owners in 1984. Subsequently acquired by us at Chiswick Auctions in 2023 (July 4, 2023 sale, item 64) Exhibited: London, England & Co, Ralph Rumney-Constants: 1950-1988, March 1989, cat.no.11i

Situationist-inspired collage in the psychogeographical tradition, from the series “Hommage to François Dufrêne”. Rumney brings to the forefront numerous elements that were important in his life.

• The lacerated map of the city of Venice (which comprises nearly half the board) is a reference to Rumney’s The Leaning Tower of Venice, the account of the author’s psychogeographical journey through La Serenissima. Initially, the innovative work was to be published in the first issue of Internationale Situationniste in 1958. However, Rumney missed the editorial deadline (see Correspondence with Debord from March 1958) which ultimately led to his exclusion from the Situationist International. The latter was announced in the inaugural issue of the SI’s journal, through a ‘fake obituary’ and account of the project’s ‘failure’ entitled “Venice has vanquished Ralph Rumney”Venice has vanquished Ralph Rumney”.
• One of the few complete words that can be deciphered on the collage is Sandro, a reference to Rumney’s son, who was born in Venice He is the son of Pegeen Guggenheim, whom Rumney was married to.

Dear readers,

Sharing the announcement below in case some of you are interested. You can reach out to Ken (knabb@bopsecrets.org) directly to get added.

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Dear Friends and Contacts,

As an experiment, I am going to facilitate a yearlong exploration of Guy Debord and the Situationist International. I’ve done this same sort of thing previously with several small in-person groups in the Bay Area, but this will be the first time I’ve tried it on Zoom with a larger number of people taking part from elsewhere in the world.

We will be reading and discussing my Situationist International Anthology (Revised and Expanded Edition, 2006) and my annotated translation of Guy Debord’s The Society of the Spectacle (2014).

Participation is free and anyone is welcome to attend, regardless of their political viewpoints or of their knowledge or lack of knowledge of the situationists, as long as they are respectful of the other participants.

The group will meet via Zoom every other Sunday, 5:00-7:00 p.m. Pacific Time, beginning on September 10.

(As many of you know, during the last several years I’ve been leading a literary discussion group [“Exploring the Classics”] that also meets every other Sunday via Zoom. That group will continue, and this new group will meet on the alternate Sundays.)

We will begin with the SI Anthology, which presents the different stages of the situationists’ evolution, from their “psychogeographical” experiments and cultural agitations of the 1950s, through their analyses of the Watts riot, the Vietnam war, the Prague Spring, the Chinese “Cultural Revolution,” and other crises and upheavals of the sixties, culminating in their perpetration of the 1966 “Strasbourg scandal” and their role in triggering the astonishing May 1968 revolt in France. Covering about 50 pages per meeting, this will take us 10 meetings.

Then we will move on to The Society of the Spectacle. Because this book is more concise and more difficult than most of the SI articles, we will be taking our time, reading the whole book aloud and discussing the meanings and implications of each paragraph in detail. Our previous reading of the Anthology articles will also help to clarify what Debord is getting at. Reading about 10 pages per meeting, this will take us 11 meetings.

The two books can be ordered from any of the distributors listed at the bottom of this webpage: https://www.bopsecrets.org/cat.htm. You can also read the books online at the same website (see below).

NOTE: This is not intended to be any sort of political action group or forum for political debate. Our aim will simply be to look at what the situationists actually said and did (in contrast to the wide variety of silly rumors and misconceptions about them). What you do with what you learn is up to you.

Let me know if you’re interested.

Cheers,

Ken

THOMAS, Frédéric; SHOCK, Clairette. Cette soif inassouvie d’une vie à changer. Cuesmes (Mons): Editions du Cerisier, 26 May 2023. 144 p.; 15 x 21.5 cm.; ill. Cover with text in white.

This informative book sheds light on one of the most critical (yet often forgotten) episodes in European labor History: the massive, wildcat “grève du siècle” (Strike of the Century), which took place in Belgium during the winter of 1960-1961. In a compelling essay, Frédéric Thomas explains how the upheaveals brought together radical libertarian socialist group Socialisme ou Barbarie, anti-union Pouvoir Ouvrier Belge (P.O.B.), and the Situationist International. In doing so, it set the stage for a more “radically political” Situationist group, as well as for the incendiary revolts of the late 1960s in France and elsewhere.

But Cette soif inassouvie d’une vie à changer (“An unquenched thirst to change life”) is also about the story of a place, l’Estro armonico. Though short-lived, this café brought together all the who’s who of left-wing political dissidents and artists in the early 1960s in Belgium. Launched by Clairette Shock and her husband Robert Dehoux upon their return from the Belgian Congo, it was there that members of the Situationist International (Attila Kotanyi, and later Guy Debord and Raoul Vaneigem), Surrealists (Louis Scutenaire), graphic designers (Jacques Richez), actors (Francis Blanche) and more would rub shoulders. There was also a space where artists could freely display their works.

The last section of the book reproduces key documents from the Pouvoir Ouvrier Belge era: the one and only issue of the group’s periodical Alternative (July 1961), the leaflet A bas l’armée ! Vive le pouvoir des conseils (October 1962) and the brochure Teilhard est con by Robert Dehoux from 1962. It also includes a postface by Raoul Vaneigem, who remembers the Strike of the Century and his friendship of over 50 years with Clairette.

A worthwhile contribution to a lesser known aspect of Situationist (and related) History. For more information see the publisher’s website here

Note: Our review copy was graciously provided by the Publisher.