Hebdomeros
New York: PAJ Publications, 1988. 1st US Edition. Octavo, publisher’s teal cloth over mustard paper-covered boards, spine gilt, original illustrated dust jacket.
First US edition of Italian artist Giorgio de Chirico’s sole novel. Born in Greece, trained at Munich’s Academy of Fine Arts, and active mainly in Italy and France, Chirico is renowned for founding the Metaphysical painting movement in the 1910s, creating stark, architectonic scenes that laid the groundwork for Surrealism. Originally written and published in 1929, Hebdomeros is a disjointed, oneiric narrative that revolves around the titular quasi-autobiographical presence, a vantage point for Chirico’s meditations on memory, myth, and the volatile nature of reality. With a preface by American poet John Ashbery, who calls the book "the finest work of Surrealist fiction." Translated from the original French and with a preface by Margaret Crosland. Dust jacket designed by Victoria Lowe. Originally published in France in 1964. Price-clipped dust jacket with light chipping to spine-ends and light edgewear. Very good. Item #12431
$50.00