The French grammarian, essayist, critic, sociologist and poet Roger Caillot (1913-1978) is a modern creator who wrote maximum magnificently about stones, however stays little identified. The exhibition “Reveries de pierre” on the Faculty of Jewellery (Paris) lets in us to seem again at his hobby that gave start to the writing of uncommon poetry.
Between 2017 and 2023, two main occasions modified the belief of Roger Caillot’s geopoetic universe: the purchase of the core of his stone assortment in 2017 and the invention of unpublished manuscripts in 2023. Those discoveries are the topic of the “Reveries a nev public de pigoationer” anthology exhibition (Chuchotements & Enchantements).
Roger Caillois on the UNESCO Space in Paris (1962). Unesco/Dominique Roger, CC BI Caillois, dreamer of stones
In keeping with his biographer Odile Felgina, this former follower of Surrealism (within the Nineteen Thirties) become a sociologist within the Fifties. He wrote essays on sports activities, video games, mask, leisure, delusion, and so on. His essays, not easy studying, summarize a large erudition.
Caillois was once elected to the Académie Française in 1971 when stones become very important to the advance of his prose (1952-1978). Its stones cherish its writings, by no means mineralogical, however reasonably the historical past of artwork, with a singular writing that surpasses our imaginative and prescient of those treasured geological witnesses: the “Pyrrhic agate” of the Greeks, the “dream stones” of the Chinese language and the villages of the Renaissance. Pierre (1966) and Writing on Stones (1970) are his best-known and maximum translated works at the matter.
Bequest within the Nationwide Museum of Herbal Historical past
After changing into a widow, his spouse Alena Caillois despatched a choice of 217 items (out of one,300), together with two manuscripts, to the Nationwide Museum of Herbal Historical past in 1983. The primary, entitled Pierres anagogiques, was once described through Alain in 1983 as “the last manuscript of Roger Caillot”. This article is introduced as being related to an agate named “No. 2,193”, with out every other main points. Neither the textual content nor the agate have been discovered once I arrived at MNHN in 2006 (I can go back to this).
In 2017, some other a part of the Caillois stone assortment, which remained within the palms of his heirs, was once got via sponsorship for MNHN through Maison Van Cleef & Arpels throughout the Faculty of Jewellery. This corpus comprises a lot of specimens illustrated in Writing Stone however by no means prior to exhibited, such because the “Le Chateau” dendritic limestone, possibly essentially the most well-known Caillois stone on the planet. This donation features a handwritten catalog of his assortment, together with the agate “No. 2,193” whose description in spite of everything lets in it to be recognized.
“Geological Solitude”, Paesine Limestone (Tuscany, Italy). Francois Farges. Paris, MNHN (EAJ/VC&A sponsorship, 2017), Creator supplied (no reuse) (re)discovery of unpublished fabrics 2023.
In 2023, throughout a brand new take a look at of the creator’s archive bequeathed to the Valéry-Larbe Mediathèque in Vichy (Allier), I studied 9 bins of little-explored archives, additionally from Alain’s heirs. Considered one of them, referred to as “Pierre”, comprises a manuscript this is discussed within the donation and referred to as “Anagoška kamenje”. How did he pass from the Museum to Vichy? Mysteries! This record comprises two texts: “One-Way Mirror” and its sequel, “Agate Anarchikue (Miscellaneous)”, the latter of which, because of its taste and relative incompleteness, is Kayo’s remaining textual content, written only some days prior to his disappearance. Caillois’ remaining concept ends with this sentence of chilly lucidity:
“From the surface of the depression to the mirror, there is less thickness than between the obverse and the reverse of the coin. But going from one to the other is as futile as going through a mirror: not difficult at all, you just have to break it.”
Roger Caillois manuscript “Paradoxical Agates” (unpublished bankruptcy). François Farge, Creator of Anagogy Thru Stones
The point out of anagogy might appear complicated coming from this kind of self-proclaimed materialist and atheist. However within the unpublished notes, Caillot explains his good judgment: he silences the unique definition of anagogy (non secular rapture against the heavenly gods) drawn from Greek mythology, so as to focal point on that of the monk Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), this is, this non secular rapture against God. True, Caillois does now not convert to any doctrine, together with the Cistercian one, however adapts the idea that of anagogy in his personal means, undoubtedly private or even scandalous, taking on the medieval Bernardine philosophy, which I summarize as follows: “You will listen more to stones than to your teachers.”
“Castle”, lithographic limestone (most definitely of German beginning). Francois Farges. Paris, MNHN (EAJ/VC&A Sponsorship, 2017), Supplied through Creator The Affect of Chinese language Writings
However Caio was once additionally impressed through Mi Fu (1051-1107), this Northern Music Chinese language student who indulged in having a pipe dream about stones. This student prostrated himself in entrance of crucial stone in his assortment, referred to as 寶晉齋研山 because of this “Ink Stone from the Baojin Workshop”, which has grow to be a cult in China even as of late. It was once overlooked within the nineteenth century, however a number of medieval engravings stay, the oldest of which dates again to 1366. This drawing, despite the fact that obscure, however contains treasured notes attributed to Mi Fu that provide an explanation for the reveries that this stone evokes in him and which he sacralizes in flip, a in most cases Taoist idea. Considered one of them is 嘗神游於其間: actually “I once dreamed that I was walking here”. However I display that, in Pierres (1966, pp. 72-74), the French take over a textual content (through the Sinologist Vandier-Nicolas) revealed in 1963 in Artwork et knowledge en Chine/Mi Fou (1051-1107), which then proposed a “mystical walk”. This translation, reasonably interpreted, on the other hand, corresponds to Caillois’ technique to the stones, between reverie and mysticism.
Later, within the twilight of his existence, in River Alpheus (1978, pp. 187-188), he mentions some other Taoist tale that describes the ascension of the 8 Immortals flying over the ocean to visit a ceremonial dinner at the paradise island-Mount Penglai. Those ecstasies within the type of stone-induced elevations appear to me one of those “Taoist anagogy” through which Kayoa may in finding, via this non-theistic and syncretic ontology between East and West, without equal inspiration.
Proof of a last e book mission with foreboding “environmental” overtones?
A handwritten word in those archives draws consideration: this can be a checklist of the titles of the texts in an excessively actual order: his descriptions of “naturalized” agates are accompanied through more and more philosophical shows, imbued with excessive anagogy. With greater than 200,000 characters, this checklist is an inventory of a giant, unpublished paintings on stones, the remaining through Caillois whose name seems to be the only revealed through Alena in 1983, “The Stones of Anago”.
Above all, Caillois, with the texts “When”, “Interregne” and “Spider’s Web”, about fifty years upfront, examines us about our courting to this Earth, which we benefit from too eagerly, with out enthusiastic about the following day, which can be disappointing. If Cajoa was once now not the primary to foresee our inevitable defeat, he was once a few of the first. And above all, he expresses it higher than somebody, that with the facility of his phrases, he reasons in us a surprise of moral sense and appreciate for this Earth that bequeathed us such a lot with out anticipating the rest in go back.
Le Paillasse, agate (Brazil). Francois Farges. Paris, MNHN (Caillois dation 1983-1985), supplied through the writer of “Chuchotements & Enchantements”
For 50 years, and particularly since my arrival at MNHN in 2006, I’ve labored to know this “stone writer”. This anthology summarizes these kinds of discoveries. Midway between a fantastic e book and a scholarly essay, most commonly French-English, it tells how minerals have been aesthetically preferred prior to, throughout and after Caillois. The mixed look with the exhibition “Reveries de pierre” will permit the reader to look, for a restricted time (November 2025-March 2026), an important a part of those stone agreements via a choice of 200 specimens to imagine, texts to learn and pay attention to slot in, just a little like Caillois.
