Dreyfus "Devil\’s Island" Press Release

PRESS RELEASE: For Immediate Release Alfred Dreyfus, Cahiers de l'île du Diable Published with the support of the Fondation Edmond et Benjamin de Rothschild The original manuscript is conserved at the BNF (French National Library), Department of Manuscripts. DECEMBER 14, 2009, PARIS: After more than 110 years, the words of the man who refused to bend to lies, to succumb to the ravages of brutal and undeserved imprisonment, have come to light once more. The remaining 14 notebooks (cahiers) of Alfred Dreyfus have just been published for the first time. Ellin Yassky, a publishing consultant located in Fairfield, CT, was a guest at the recent private showing for this unique, hand-bound, bibliophilic edition and explains the circumstances that led to the publication of this important volume. “In one of the most notorious trials of the late nineteenth century, now referred to as ‘The Dreyfus Affair,’ French artillery officer Captain Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of charges of treason and deported to the prison on French Guiana’s Devil’s Island in 1895. Though innocent of the trumped-up charges, Dreyfus was incarcerated in those hellish tropical confines from 1895 to 1899. There, in order to maintain his sanity and make constructive use of his time, he corresponded with his wife Lucie and family back in France, keeping a diary and 34 notebooks. Fourteen of these notebooks, donated by the heirs of Joseph Reinach, defense lawyer for Dreyfus and later the author of ‘L’Affaire,’ the historical documentation of the trial, have been stored in the Manuscripts Department of the French National Library. There, under the library’s documentation

number 24909, they have remained, the only surviving writings by Dreyfus from the days of his imprisonment. The remaining missing 20 notebooks were lost, destroyed by Dreyfus himself.” Yassky describes the treasures that are revealed within the pages of the Cahiers de l’île du Diable, the title of this new publication. “These 14 notebooks were written during the final months of Dreyfus’s incarceration, between August 1898 and April 1899. They consist of five hundred pages of Dreyfus’s refined and elegant handwriting, sometimes miniscule, often unreadable. The text contains notes on his readings, transcriptions of works by his favorite authors, and exercises in the subjects of English and mathematics, all created to keep his mind sharp during the endless hours of his imprisonment. In addition to the writing, pages upon pages of obsessively drawn arabesques fill the void of the notebook’s pages. These notebooks witness the intellectual activity of Dreyfus during this period, and show the importance he placed upon literature and history, specifically Montaigne and Shakespeare, as well as his implicit love for mathematics and Napoleonic strategies. But above these obviously mechanical exercises, these notebooks represent a tool of resistance for Dreyfus, who, until 1897, believed he had been forgotten by the world beyond his prison. These notebooks were his attempt to create a memory of that lost world.” This edition comprises the complete transcription of the remaining 14 notebooks, as well as a facsimile of Notebook #7. Additionally, contributions by noted Dreyfus scholars enhance the accessibility of the text. The preface is written by Jean-Louis Levy, grandson of Alfred Dreyfus. An introduction by French philosopher André Comte-Sponville presents us with the lessons learned within the pages of this manuscript; Mauricette Berne, conservateur général honoraire at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, relates the story of the rediscovery of these texts; Maxime Préaud, conservateur général, dépt des Estampes responsable de la Réserve précieuse, provides an analysis of the designs and arabesques that fill the pages. The final text, as presented in this edition, is the result of the arduous work of the publisher Pierrette Turlais of Editions Artulis in Paris. Publisher Pierrette Turlais, whose boutique publishing company, Editions Artulis, has just released this book, explains her passion for the subject: “This edition salutes the stoicism, fortitude, and courage of a man who refused to bend to lies. Alfred Dreyfus represents the twentieth-century ideals that we question with our twenty-first-century minds: resistance, a secular society, and the inalienable rights of man. This edition strives to present the political power of culture, the guaranteed and indestructible part of every man within his society. It is the wish of the publisher to not only nourish a reflection on anti-Semitism, but to realize the horrific stakes when ignoring injustices within our society.” A preview of the book can be found in the original French at http://www.editionsartulis.fr/dreyfus/sommaire.htm. A Google translation of the site is available at http://preview.tinyurl.com/yfbpc4m. For more information, please contact Ellin Yassky, Ph.D., exclusive agent of the Cahiers de l’île du Diable in the United States, Canada, and Israel at 203-581-0395, or email her at Ellin@MediciEditorial.com. Details This edition is limited to 300 copies. Format: 19 x 31 cm (7.5 x 12.25 inches) Number of pages: 280 Paper: Munken pur Facsimile of Cahier 7 (Notebook #7) Exterior box: box covered with acid-etched pewter paper Bound books with exposed spines Pages printed as serigraphs Price: available upon request Publication date: December 2009 Published by Éditions Artulis, Paris For more information, please contact Ellin Yassky, Ph.D., exclusive agent of the Cahiers de l’île du Diable in the United States, Canada, and Israel at 203-581-0395, or email at Ellin@MediciEditorial.com.

Dreyfus "Devil\’s Island" Press Release

by EllinYassky on Jan 04, 2010

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