Posthumous Voices: Hilda Hilst and Griselidis Réal
Two new poetry collections by late Brazilian poet Hilda Hilst and Swiss writer-prostitute Griselidis Réal challenge literary conventions. Hilst's "Rutilant néant" and "De l'amour, précédé par Poèmes maudits, jouissifs et dévots" (Éditions Caractères) explore gender fluidity, eroticism, and mortality. Réal's "les Sphinx" (Éditions Verticales) continues her correspondence with Jean-Luc Hennig, blending prostitution, art, and defiance against bourgeois morality. Both authors died in the 2000s—Hilst in 2004 at 74, Réal in 2005—yet their works remain provocatively alive.
Key facts
- Hilda Hilst died in January 2004 at age 74.
- Griselidis Réal died in 2005.
- Hilst's works include 'Rutilant néant' and 'De l'amour, précédé par Poèmes maudits, jouissifs et dévots' published by Éditions Caractères.
- Réal's 'les Sphinx' is published by Éditions Verticales.
- Réal's correspondence with Jean-Luc Hennig spans over 700 pages.
- Hilst's poetry features shifting identities and addresses God and death.
- Réal identifies as a 'Pute rebelle' and criticizes bourgeois morality.
- Hilst was previously published by Gallimard in Gérard Bourgadier's collection l'Arpenteur.
Entities
Artists
- Hilda Hilst
- Griselidis Réal
- Simone Weil
- Sainte Thérèse d'Avila
- Jean-Luc Hennig
- Arthur Rimbaud
- Gérard Bourgadier
Institutions
- Éditions Caractères
- Éditions Verticales
- Gallimard
- l'Arpenteur
Locations
- Brazil
- Switzerland
- Geneva
Sources
- artpress —