Albert Caraco

[Ilsa]

Albert Caraco (1919 - 1971) was a french writer whose nihilism brought him to suicide.
His writings are based on a belief in a decadent and chaotic living, with no aim and no meaning. He strongly supported a reduction of the world population (which he calls a "perdition mass") and a return to paganism.
Caraco has been compared to Céline and Cioran for his violence and elegance in writing.

In Italy only three of his books have been translated:
-Breviario del caos
-Post mortem
-Compendio alla Psycopathia sexualis

I don't know about any english translation available, but i hope i'm wrong!

Here's a list of his published books:

Le livre des combats de l’âme(1949)
L’école des intransigeants. Rébellion pour l’ordre (1952)
Le désirable et le sublime. Phénoménologie de l’Apocalypse (1953, 1979)
Foi, valeur et besoin, Paris 1957;
Apologie d’Israël, vol. 1: Plaidoyer pour les indéfendables (1957), vol. 2: La marche à travers les ruines (1957)
Huit essais sur le mal (1963,1979)
Le tombeau de l’histoire (1966,1976)
Les races et les classes (1967)
Post mortem (1968, 1985, tr. it. Milano 1984);
La luxure et la mort: relations de l’ordre et de la sexualité (1968);
L’ordre et le sexe (1970);
Obéissance ou servitude? (1974)
Ma confession, Lausanne (1975)
L’homme de lettres: un art d’écrire (1975)
Bréviaire du chaos (1982, tr. it. Milano 1998)
Supplément à la «Psychopathia sexualis» (1983)
Ecrits sur la religion (1984)
Semainier de l’incertitude (1994)
La luxure et la mort (2000)
Mystère d'Israël (2004).

[Cyril Tourneur]

well if you like Caraco (and there also have been translations to German) give Nicolás Gómez Dávila a try...i'll include the wikipedia link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicol%C...ez_D%C3%A1vila

[Ilsa]

I already gave him a try...and I enjoyed it. Do you know of any english translations to Caraco?

[Cyril Tourneur]

I don't know of any...there are just french, italian, german and spanish editions...and there will be a turkish edition of 'Post Mortem' in '08

[Cyril Tourneur]

mmm...and of the writers in context with Georges Bataille, Michel Leiris is also interesting...having read part of his oeuvre (L'Age d'homme and Race et civilisation)
I'll again include the entry

Michel Leiris - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Michel_Leiris

[who+dares+wings]

Preview of Albert Caraco (Handbook of Chaos) in English:
http://chaoshandbook.blogspot.com/

Nicholas Gomez Divila quotes in English:
http://www.mgilleland.com/ngd.htm

Cioran and Petre Tutea video (with English subs):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbOevl3BSGg

[Ilsa]

Thank you, that's really helpful... and welcome!

[Jeff Coleman]

I finally got around to reading the English translations from 'Handbook of Chaos.' Very enjoyable, but not what I was expecting. I recall a bloodstained and feverish rejection of modernity without a traditional, um, traditionalism in its place.

I hope the translator eventually gets around to the rest of the book.

Coincidentally, I kind of know the guy who wrote the introductory essay at the bottom of the Chaos page. I introduced him to Zapffe's writing.

Perhaps I could ask him if they are planning on updating the blog. Although it struck me that the best way to incentivise further translations is to commission them out of my own pocket.

This morning I got the idea of maybe self-publishing a magazine or small book collecting English translations of authors rarely translated into English (Caraco, Zapffe, and so on), combined with articles about the authors, and on subjects of interest to me (antinatalism, etc.)

I might start a thread asking for advice about that idea here, because this is the first time I've actually seriously considered doing something like that, and a bunch of complications have already occurred to me regarding how to go about making it happen.

It would be something I would most likely lose money on. I look at it as a worthwhile way to lose money, though. To have the opportunity to read things I am interested in and send them out into the world. I've spent money on worse things. It would probably take a lot of work to put just one magazine together to my satisfaction, and the satisfaction of contributors, but I'm enthusiastic about trying. I'll leave it at that for now, but I would appreciate anything anyone might have to say about the idea. Even if it is along the lines of "don't do it, that's a bad idea." Sorry that this is off-topic. I didn't expect my comment to take this turn when I started it. I have to prepare for a trip, so I probably won't get back to this for a while.