CREVEL (René). - Lot 120

CREVEL (René). Babylon. Paris: Simon Kra, [1927]. — In-8, 234 x 160: frontispiece, 195 pp., (2 ff.), printed cover. Paperback, padded cover, flat-backed ivory parchment slipcase, case. First edition illustrated with a portrait of the author drawn by Christian Bérard on the frontispiece. Babylone explores the tensions between desire, identity, and dehumanization. Through characters such as Cynthia—a young woman in search of freedom—Petitdemange, and Mac-Louf, the work weaves a narrative in which the themes of family, sexuality, and exclusion intersect. Part of the literary movement of the 1920s, which also questioned colonialism, the narrative links Africa to social and political criticism, where it embodies subversion, sensuality, and rebellion against the colonial order. One of the first 15 copies printed on Holland paper (No. 8), enhanced on the margin of the text block with a glued-in sheet of blue paper bearing the autograph inscription: “Copy: No. 8 from Lord Allington. A friendly memento from René Crevel.” Very well-preserved copy, from the library of Bernard Loliée. One corner of the slipcase is damaged. Provenance: Lord Allington. – Bernard Loliée, with bookplate (auction of April 26, 2016, lot 185).