L'Enchanteur pourrissant (The Rotting Sorcerer)

Produced in collaboration with Fauve artist André Derain, The Rotting Sorcerer features a prose-poem by French avant-garde poet, essayist, and critic Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918). It is Apollinaire's first published volume of poetry and the first book illustrated with original prints by Derain. Fascinated by the ritual and romance of Arthurian legends, Apollinaire based his poem on the mythical character Merlin the Enchanter, the medieval wizard, prophet, and counselor in King Arthur's court. Through a strange lyrical dialogue between Merlin and his love interest, the nymph Viviane, the poem describes Merlin's death and entombment and recounts a series of graveside visits by various mythological and historical figures. Derain contributed a series of 32 monochromatic woodcuts that augment Apollinaire's poems, but did not illustrate them. In these bold, simplified designs, Derain reveals his strong interest in African sculpture and the graphic art of Paul Gauguin.