Our world is suffering, and so is our society: the rise of nihilism, the hatred of beauty and lyricism, the lowering of educational and language standards, the cynicism dominating corporate management, the crumbling values which have led commercial and stock-trading spheres to bulge to the point of actual hypertrophy….
But what if all of this is happening because we are forgetting the cosmos – the universe?
Henri Raynal offers readers an observation and an unusual proposition:
– His observation is that, despite our great strides made during the 20th and 21st centuries in learning more about the universe, thought and philosophy, we have, for the most part, turned away from the cosmos;
– He proposes that human beings be put back into a non-selfish state: I am not the Alpha and the Omega of Creation; I can reposition myself, resituate myself, become one of the goals of a relationship, of which the second is a cardinal Otherness, or the Divine, or Cosmic Totality – call that what you will.
The acknowledgement of beauty and wonder which stem from it, the understanding of all that surrounds us, of what is, may enable us to become re-enchanted with the world.
This singular proposition is a celebration of the cosmos – a way of assuming a poetic presence in the world.
Henri Raynal is a writer, poet, and art critic. His first book, Aux pieds d'Omphale, was published by Jean-Jacques Pauvert on the advice of André Breton in 1957. His also authored L'Œil magique and L'Orgueil anonyme (Seuil, 1963 and 1965), books published in the 1990s by Éditions Deyrolle and the publisher Le temps qu'il fait (Le pays sur le chevalet, 1992, Sur toi l'or de la nuit, 1992, and Dans le dehors, 1996). The work Dans le secret (Fata Morgana, 2004), inspired by his Sufi readings and his friendship with Henry Corbin, combined narration and poetic meditation.
He contributes writings to numerous magazines, including Le Surréalisme même, La Nouvelle Revue Française (NRF), Tel quel, Le Mercure de France, Critique, Les Cahiers du sud, Les Lettres françaises,Poésie, Art press and Revue du MAUSS, of which he is a member
