José Bergamín's Complete Aphorisms Published in 'Les idées lièvres'

The book 'Les idées lièvres, Les Fondeurs de briques' collects the complete aphoristic works of Spanish poet, playwright, and essayist José Bergamín (1895-1983), spanning from 1935 until his death. Bergamín, an intellectual shaped by the Spanish Civil War and a controversial figure, favored brevity and aphorism as a means to condense maximum meaning into sharp, concise verbal matter. His aphorisms are characterized by speed, risk, and a destabilizing effect, aiming to expand perception. The collection is organized around four main themes: bullfighting, literary and artistic criticism, politics, and religion, which are interconnected and ultimately point to a spiritual dimension. Bergamín combines gravity and lightness, drawing energy from this paradoxical alliance. The book includes an introduction by Didier Arnaudet.