Last Writings of Antonin Artaud

The last writings of Antonin Artaud published in English and brought together in one edition for the first time.

Last Writings of Antonin Artaud encompasses the work of Artaud during the final years of his life, spanning from his time in the psychiatric hospital of Rodez to his last month of freedom before his death in March 1948. Throughout this period, Artaud dedicated himself to extensive writing, resulting in a collection that includes numerous poems, radio works, texts on his drawings, vocal improvisations, letters, and fragments. Some of these pieces are being published in English for the first time, either in whole or in part.

In these late writings, Artaud intensifies his preoccupations with themes such as the transformation of human anatomy into a skeleton devoid of organs, the looming threat of malevolent assassins intent on stealing his semen and ending his life, and his vehement disdain for psychiatry and all religions. He articulates the necessity for an insurgent creation of art, dance, and vocal cacophony.

With additional new translations, this edition, edited by Stephen Barber, completes the work initiated by American poet and translator Clayton Eshleman and his collaborators, aiming to translate and publish these writings in their entirety in English.