swallowing him up.
The birth of the atomic bomb cast a cloud over humanity, darkening the end of the Great War.
His former comrades had split into various factions, some hostile and some friendly. Thus began the days that severely taxed Breton-battling for an applied surrealism while fighting against social realism, and then critically confronting a situation in which the return to power of those authorities who had collaborated with the Vichy government was simply ignored.
That year passed in the blink of an eye.
He had actually begun to forget.
Until last night, at eight ... when he had heard that voice on the phone-
3
It was unbelievable all the same.
How was it that Who May, who had completely vanished from sight, had had an opportunity to meet Arshile Gorky?
Even more important, why had Who May simply dropped out of Breton's sight?
And why did he now want again to meet with Breton in Paris?
"I met Mr. Gorky in Connecticut. David Hare let me stay with him, and that was when he introduced me to Gorky."
"Hare?"
"Yes, I came back on my own. To New York ... but there was no one there. This was after you had returned to Paris. I did get your message, though. You said to contact David Hare-and so I decided to give him a call. He was very kind. He talked to me a lot once he had read my works. He gave me some sound advice as well. I stayed in his house in Connecticut some two weeks, and then I got on a ship bound for France."
Breton had left the message when leaving New York. At the time, beyond returning to Paris, he had no idea how or where he would find a place to live.
He trusted Hare, however. And so he gave him Who May's name.
Breton himself had long forgotten about the message. But it had all worked out after all.
Breton now understood.
He knew that David Hare had been quite close to Arshile Gorky.
The year after the Bretons had met Gorky, Hare offered him a room in his home, and during his stay there Gorky completed his Plough and the Song series.
Hare was truly generous about such things.
Breton was surprised that Who May had received Gorky's address, but if Hare had been involved, it wasn't unthinkable.
"-that's all very well." Breton asked: "But why did you disappear without telling us? `Mirror' did reach me. Marcel Duchamp and I were both quite taken by surprise with it. We really wanted to ask you some questions about it. So we called the apartment number you had given me, but you and your father had already cleared out of there."
"I must apologize, Monsieur Breton. Jean-Pierre Carron, my father, ran into trouble in his business dealings with an Italian gentleman-and we had to leave New York. And so we fled all the way to California."
"Fled?"
"We were in fear of our lives. My father was penniless at the time. We couldn't tell anyone where we were living. I have to apologize ..."
"I see."
"I parted with my father in San Francisco. He told me that if we stayed together, I could be implicated in his troubles-so I returned alone to New York."
(His father?)
Breton tried to imagine the stepfather whom he had never seen.
A man whose business with an Italian man in America involved the sort of troubles that put a price on his head, so it seemed.
"That much I understand, but-"
Glancing up at the clock, Breton continued.
"You said that you're in the Chaillot area, right? So no time like the present. Come to my house. You're more than welcome here. I would like to hear more about this `request' of yours. And there are many other things I would like to talk about."
"That's not possible. I can't go anywhere right now."
"Why is that?"
"Right now, Monsieur Breton-right now I am writing. I can write. I have found a completely new key. It's such a-oh, how I can write with it!"
"A key?"
"Monsieur Breton-oh, please listen to me. I am fearful. Truly fearful. If I do write it, what will happen to me ... I really don't know. It scares me. I am terrified."
"What are you afraid of?" Breton replied
The birth of the atomic bomb cast a cloud over humanity, darkening the end of the Great War.
His former comrades had split into various factions, some hostile and some friendly. Thus began the days that severely taxed Breton-battling for an applied surrealism while fighting against social realism, and then critically confronting a situation in which the return to power of those authorities who had collaborated with the Vichy government was simply ignored.
That year passed in the blink of an eye.
He had actually begun to forget.
Until last night, at eight ... when he had heard that voice on the phone-
3
It was unbelievable all the same.
How was it that Who May, who had completely vanished from sight, had had an opportunity to meet Arshile Gorky?
Even more important, why had Who May simply dropped out of Breton's sight?
And why did he now want again to meet with Breton in Paris?
"I met Mr. Gorky in Connecticut. David Hare let me stay with him, and that was when he introduced me to Gorky."
"Hare?"
"Yes, I came back on my own. To New York ... but there was no one there. This was after you had returned to Paris. I did get your message, though. You said to contact David Hare-and so I decided to give him a call. He was very kind. He talked to me a lot once he had read my works. He gave me some sound advice as well. I stayed in his house in Connecticut some two weeks, and then I got on a ship bound for France."
Breton had left the message when leaving New York. At the time, beyond returning to Paris, he had no idea how or where he would find a place to live.
He trusted Hare, however. And so he gave him Who May's name.
Breton himself had long forgotten about the message. But it had all worked out after all.
Breton now understood.
He knew that David Hare had been quite close to Arshile Gorky.
The year after the Bretons had met Gorky, Hare offered him a room in his home, and during his stay there Gorky completed his Plough and the Song series.
Hare was truly generous about such things.
Breton was surprised that Who May had received Gorky's address, but if Hare had been involved, it wasn't unthinkable.
"-that's all very well." Breton asked: "But why did you disappear without telling us? `Mirror' did reach me. Marcel Duchamp and I were both quite taken by surprise with it. We really wanted to ask you some questions about it. So we called the apartment number you had given me, but you and your father had already cleared out of there."
"I must apologize, Monsieur Breton. Jean-Pierre Carron, my father, ran into trouble in his business dealings with an Italian gentleman-and we had to leave New York. And so we fled all the way to California."
"Fled?"
"We were in fear of our lives. My father was penniless at the time. We couldn't tell anyone where we were living. I have to apologize ..."
"I see."
"I parted with my father in San Francisco. He told me that if we stayed together, I could be implicated in his troubles-so I returned alone to New York."
(His father?)
Breton tried to imagine the stepfather whom he had never seen.
A man whose business with an Italian man in America involved the sort of troubles that put a price on his head, so it seemed.
"That much I understand, but-"
Glancing up at the clock, Breton continued.
"You said that you're in the Chaillot area, right? So no time like the present. Come to my house. You're more than welcome here. I would like to hear more about this `request' of yours. And there are many other things I would like to talk about."
"That's not possible. I can't go anywhere right now."
"Why is that?"
"Right now, Monsieur Breton-right now I am writing. I can write. I have found a completely new key. It's such a-oh, how I can write with it!"
"A key?"
"Monsieur Breton-oh, please listen to me. I am fearful. Truly fearful. If I do write it, what will happen to me ... I really don't know. It scares me. I am terrified."
"What are you afraid of?" Breton replied
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