Gallimard's Quarto Edition Reassesses Max Jacob's Overlooked Genius

Gallimard has published a comprehensive Quarto edition of Max Jacob's works, aiming to restore the poet's legacy. The edition includes his protean writing—poems, novels, letters, and aphorisms—showcasing his unique blend of mysticism and burlesque. Jacob, who died in Drancy in 1944 as a registered Jew, was hailed by Jean Paulhan as the greatest Catholic poet of his time, surpassing Claudel. His conversion to Catholicism in 1915, with Picasso as godfather, did not save him from deportation; he perished from pneumonia before being sent to Auschwitz. The article argues Jacob's influence on Surrealism and modern poetry has been underestimated, as his work was pillaged by Breton, Michaux, and others. His style combines dreamlike imagery with prosaic detail, as seen in works like Cinématoma and Le Cabinet noir. The edition includes previously unpublished pieces and highlights his ability to find the sacred in the mundane, from bureaucratic errors to the confessions of a prostitute. The title references Jacob's namesake's ladder dream, symbolizing his ascent between heaven and earth.