Traitor Comet

by personne, Kristin Harley (Contributor)

French poet/playwright/actor Antonin Artaud briefly led the surrealist movement in 1920 Paris before resigning rather than join the communist party. His lifelong friend and fellow surrealist, Robert Desnos, likewise rebelled and both explored new forms of theatre, radio pay, poetry, and polemics. Struggling with his mental health, Artaud would eventually be committed to a series of mental hospitals right before the Nazi invasion of Paris. Desnos, now a member of the French Resistance, must struggled to save his country and his friend.
This novel is the first of a series, set in 1926, and covers Artaud's growing suspicion of the communist-minded surrealists he is leading, Artaud's father's death, and Desnos's obsession with automatic writing and trance.

397 pages, Paperback

Published June 30, 2023

Reviews

[Elizabeth]

Such a well-written book! This was a fascinating read. The novel closely follows the lives of Antonin Artaud and Robert Desnos, and others. Through Geoff, we are magically transported back to 1926 when they walked the streets of Paris, visited the cafes, and sat by a fireplace to talk. There is a surprising element that the author brings to the novel that beautifully combines historical fiction and a cosmic sort of surrealism. Geoff has secrets and many ghosts he hopes to quell.