Audiberti, Jacques

(1899-1965)

   writer

   Born in Antibes, Jacques Audiberti, through the combined influence of Stéphane Mallarmé and surrealism, developed an exalted lyrical style and expressiveness, and his passion for language is evident in all his works. As a poet, Audiberti published L'Empire et la trappe (1930), Des tones de semence (1941), Toujours (1943), and Rempart (1953). As a novelist, he was still poetic in his works, which are filled with creativity, vicissitudes, and adventure (Abraxas, 1938; Des jardins et des fleuves, 1954; La Poupée, 1956), as are his more classically styled writings (Le Maître de Milan, (1950); Marie Dubois, 1952). He also wrote essays (La nouvelle Origine, 1942; L'Abhumanisme, 1955) and recollections (Dimanche m'attend, 1965). Finally, Audiberti is, for the theater, the creator of a world in which the word, more than even the logic of the characters and the ingeniousness of the plots, fascinates the audience. As a writer for the theater of the absurd, in which he mixes the allegorical with the absurd, Audiberti evokes the great romantic dramas of victor hugo (L'Ampélour, 1928; Quoat-Quoat, 1946; Le mal court, 1947; La Haberaute, 1957; L'Effet Glapion, 1959; La Logeuse, 1960).