Céline's Letters to Milton Hindus: Noise and Tenderness

A new edition of Louis-Ferdinand Céline's correspondence with Milton Hindus (1947-1949) is published by Gallimard in the 'Les cahiers de la Nrf' collection. The letters, written from Copenhagen in 1948 while Céline awaited extradition to France, reveal his literary technique and mystical conception of writing. He describes his method as 'the trust of living diamonds of spoken language' and claims 'everything is already written outside of man.' Céline contrasts himself with Voltaire, whom he attacks as 'too intelligent' and representative of Cartesian France, while aligning himself with Shakespeare's irrational savagery. He emphasizes the secret delicacy of his style, attributing his refinement to his mother's craft of repairing antique lace. The letters also touch on his desire to emigrate to America and his disdain for contemporary readers. The edition includes reflections on Céline's 'polyphonic joy' and his view of death as a reversible glove.