Speaking East: The Strange and Enchanted Life of Isidore Isou

by Andrew Hussey

A vibrant account of both the sensuous cultural scene of postwar Paris and the life of an alluring icon of modern art.
 
Isidore Isou was a young Jew in wartime Bucharest who barely survived the Romanian Holocaust. He made his way to Paris, where, in 1945, he founded the avant-garde movement Lettrism, described as the missing link between Dada, Surrealism, Situationism, and May ’68. In Speaking East , Andrew Hussey presents a colorful picture of the postwar Left Bank, where Lettrist fists flew in avantgarde punch-ups in Jazz clubs and cafés, and where Isou—as sexy and as charismatic as the young Elvis—gathered around him a group of hooligan disciples who argued, drank, and had sex with the Parisian intellectual élite. This is a vibrant account of the life and times of a pivotal figure in the history of modern art.

Genres: Biography, History

324 pages, Hardcover

Published November 8, 2021

Reviews

[Yigru Zeltil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Speaking East is a detailed enough and more than captivating account, albeit biased, of the whereabouts of Isidore Isou, his life in Romania, his arrival in France and the swift rise and fall of his otherwise long-standing Lettrist movement (which outlived its offshoots long after losing its public notoriety). And when I say biased, I mean the author obviously finds Isou a lot more fascinating than the likes of Debord and Jorn, who split from Lettrism partly on account of Isou's unabashed mysticism and egocentrism. However, Hussey does make a compelling case for Isou's conceptions bringing to a new peak the relationship of the avant-garde with Jewish mystical thought - and, of course, for the real origins of Mai 68. And, as a bonus, there are few - only a few though... - illustrations, which prompts the reader to further go exploring online, since offline there are scarce resources - especially in Romania, where some people still don't seem to acknowledge that it was here where Tzara, Isou, Celan and so many other essential figures of the past century were born.

[Adrian Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is among the most fascinating non-fiction books I've encountered in a while. I have long been interested in the figure of Lettrist artist Isidore Isou. Both his fans and detractors have, for decades, been either amused or appalled at his self-proclamation as a 'Messiah' – a typical (if extreme) posture of 20th century avant-garde gurus. But Hussey's book uncovers the real history that Isou, in his youth, survived such brutal persecution as a Romanian Jew – and that survival was so miraculous that Isou literally came to believe his Messianic status; it was no mere stylish posture. We enter deeply into the life and times, and also the complex mind, of Isou in this biography – including an unforgettable evocation of his psychotic episode in the midst of May 1968 (an event he believed he had Messianically 'caused', and was the rightful leader of!). I learned a lot from this fine book and its meticulous research.

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isou is the most grandiose artist I've ever read about. I think this was because he saw himself as a great artist and messiah figure. Also because he was half-mad—finally dissolving into full psychosis during May '68 in Paris. From the height of his fame in 1950s Paris to his fall from popularity is a sad descent. He always believed he was a genius but he failed to achieve his over-arching ideals that no one could achieve. As least he was seemingly happy in his pursuit of the unattainable like a true delusional.

His concept of hypergraphic writing is interesting: combining symbols, signs, drawings, and fragments of actual writing into a "novel". I'd be interested to read his Hypergraphic Novels in translation but it's very rare and costs $300 at least.

[daaltena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een ontroerend portret van een man met grenzeloze creativiteit, die in zijn latere leven wordt gekweld door mentale en fysieke kwelling. Eerste echte pop ‘introductie’ annex biografie van Isou in de Angelsaksische letteren. Jaja, algoeds.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating biography. One of the best biographies that I've read. I gained far more than I expected in the reading of this book.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible biography.