152 - Henri MICHAUX. Elsewhere.

Henri MICHAUX. Elsewhere. Journey to Greater Garabagne, In the Land of Magic, Here in Poddema. Paris: Gallimard, 1948. In-12, paperback, slipcase. First combined edition: press review copy. In his selection of the 100 key books of modern literature (No. 83), Cyril Connolly chose *Journey to Greater Garabagne* and *In the Land of Magic*, both of which are included in this *Elsewhere*. These “two books of imaginary travels contain flashes of inspired ferocity; the impossible is taken for granted, the inhabitants are detestable yet steeped in poetry, and the fantastic prose poems seem carved from rock crystal.” Autographed copy, signed on the half-title page: To Mr. Henri Pierre Roché / a few models of / magical winds from / AILLEURS / a friendly tribute from / H. Michaux Pencil note on the flyleaf: HP Roché / read April 21, ’48. Painter, collector, critic, art dealer, the person who introduced Gertrude and Leo Stein to modern art, and a friend of Duchamp and most French artists of the first half of the 20th century, Henri-Pierre Roché (1879–1959) was also a prolific and secretive writer, the vast majority of whose work remains unpublished. His novels *Jules and Jim* (which describes the love triangle he formed with Franz Hessel and Helen Grund) and *The Two English Girls and the Continent* were adapted for the screen by François Truffaut. Roché wrote a remarkable essay on Henri Michaux’s gouaches for the catalog of the exhibition at the Drouin Gallery in April 1948 (see no. 154): we can assume that this letter was sent on the opening day of the exhibition. The “please insert” note is enclosed.