Seeing the world through Gustave Roud’s eyes
Photograph by Gaston Cherpillod, late 1930s
Fonds photographique Gustave Roud / Subilia, IS 5336-03971
The Gustave Roud / Subilia photographic collection is now available on Patrinum, and to better situate this poet and photographer, we spoke to Stéphane Pétermann, researcher at the Centre des littératures en Suisse romande (CLSR) and president of theAssociation des Amis de Gustave Roud.
You took over the presidency of the Association des amis de Gustave Roud in 2017. Who is this writer and photographer, and what is the role of the association?
Gustave Roud (1897-1976) was a poet, photographer, translator and critic. Author of ten collections published during his lifetime, he left a profound mark on French-speaking Switzerland, where he was one of the most important writers of the 20th century. His lyrical work is in the tradition of Romanticism, and is characterized by the quest for paradise through the encounter with the beings and things of this world, with which the poet dialogues. Roud wrote extensively for the press and magazines, translated from German and Italian, and kept a diary. A friend of C. F. Ramuz and René Auberjonois, he exerted a major influence on writers such as Philippe Jaccottet, Maurice Chappaz and Jacques Chessex, among others. Today, Roud’s talent is widely recognized beyond Switzerland’s borders, thanks in particular to Jaccottet and his inclusion in the Poésie / Gallimard collection.
The Association des Amis de Gustave Roud is the poet’s legal successor. Created in 1977, it works to make Roud known and loved by as wide an audience as possible.
For the past two weeks, Gustave Roud’s work has been available in a new edition edited by Daniel Maggetti and Claire Jaquier. The paper version will be complemented by an online edition soon to be published on the UNIL website. What can those interested in these two publications expect, and how do they complement each other?
With this publication, Roud’s own wish has been fulfilled, as he wished to bring together not only his poetic work, but also that of his critics and translators. At last, the public will be able to discover Roud’s writing in its entirety and the diversity of its forms. The critical accompaniment situates the texts in their time and traces their genesis, enabling the reader to understand the very particular dynamic of Roudian writing, at once rhapsodic and tightly knit around a few thematic and stylistic knots. As for the “Gustave Roud. Textes & Archives” provides access to the manuscripts of the work, the texts of the ten collections, a rich photographic documentation and visualizations of the genesis of the collections, in the form of constellations inspired by celestial maps. The site differs from the printed volumes in that it is intended less as a means of reading than as a tool for exploring the work, for specialists and amateurs alike. And, of course, it will continue to develop as research continues.
Among the 11,000 images in the photographic collection, is there one that tells a particularly interesting story for you?
It’s hard to choose among so many images. The image chosen to illustrate this article presents just one aspect of the richness of this collection. To my mind, it reveals something fundamental in Roud’s photographic practice: here he is witnessing an interior scene, in a farmhouse, while a peasant is hard at work, weaving a basket. The cat’s presence, the decoration of the wall behind him, all contribute to creating an atmosphere of intimacy, within which the imagier has found his place, as a silent witness, yet very much present, if only through the glances he receives from both man and animal.
Between 2008 and 2016, the photographic collection deposited at the BCUL was restored and digitized with the support of Memoriav. The images are now available in the Patrinum database. What insight into the cultural history of his era does this photographic work provide?
Roud’s photographic work is another side of his personal universe, complementary to his poetic work. We find the same places, the same characters and the same gaze, whether desirous or inspired. But it is obviously a medium that obeys completely different – even opposing – constraints and protocols to those of poetic writing. The ability of the photographic image to represent reality lends this work an exceptional value. In addition to capturing Roud’s world and his eye, it bears witness to a world that has all but disappeared – that of traditional agriculture and rural villages before the “trente glorieuses”. Few photographers have captured the day-to-day life of farmers, and even fewer have come from this world, as Gustave Roud did. In a way, we could say that with his photographs, the poet became a historian and ethnographer in spite of himself.
The digitization of the Gustave Roud/Subilia photographic collection held by the BCUL’s Manuscript Department can be accessed on Patrinum, while the inventory of the literary collection held by the Centre de littératures en Suisse romande can be consulted on Phébus.
