Pierre Klossowski, a Parisian native, departed this world on 12 August 2001, leaving behind a rich legacy as a novelist, visual artist, translator, philosopher, critic, and even an actor. Born into a family of noble Polish descent, he was joined by his brother Balthus, an accomplished painter, three years after his arrival on 9 August 1905. One of his mother’s lovers, Rainer Maria Rilke, introduced him to André Gide, for whom he served as secretary during the composition period of his novel, The Counterfeiters.
In collaboration with Pierre Jean Jouve, Klossowski also translated Holderlin’s works. His association with Georges Bataille led him to join his secret society and contribute to the review, Acéphale. During World War II, he contemplated entering a monastery, an experience he later incorporated into his first novel, The Suspended Vocation, in a satirical manner. In 1947, he married Marie-Roberte Morin-Sinclaire, a member of the Resistance who was lightly fictionalized in his trilogy of erotic-philosophical novels, collectively known as The Laws of Hospitality.
Klossowski also ventured into the world of cinema, starring in Robert Bresson’s film Au hasard Balthazar. He even collaborated with Chilean expatriate Raúl Ruiz on two television films, one of which was an adaptation of The Suspended Vocation. In a unique twist, Klossowski played the role of Octave, his own character, in Pierre Zucca’s film Roberte, which depicts scenes from The Laws of Hospitality novels.
At the ripe age of ninety-six, Klossowski departed from this world, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire and intrigue to this day. www.ftn-books.com has several Klossowski titles available.
