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Description
CREVEL (René).
Babylon.
Paris: Simon Kra, [1927]. — 8vo, 234 x 160: frontispiece, 195 pp., (2 ff.), printed cover. Paperback, padded cover, flat-backed ivory parchment slipcase, box.
First edition illustrated with a portrait of the author drawn by Christian Bérard on the frontispiece.
*Babylone* explores the tensions between desire, identity and dehumanisation. 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, in which it embodies subversion, sensuality and revolt against the colonial order.
One of the first 15 copies printed on Holland paper (no. 8), enhanced on the margin by a glued-in sheet of blue paper bearing the handwritten inscription: ‘Copy: No. 8 of Lord Allington. With kind regards, René Crevel.’
A 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 26 April 2016, lot 185).
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale
Claude Mozis Library – Black Africa and the African diaspora
Auction location
Auction time
10/21/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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