Love Poems

After the publication of Rene Ricard 1979-1980 and God with Revolver, the Lutanie Editions publish a third collection of poetry by the writer, artist and American actor Rene Ricard (1946-2014), Love Poems. Edited from the rare, eponymous book, published by Richard Hell by CUZ editions In 1999, Love Poems presented three long poems by Rene Ricard and a series of Black and white drawings by American painter Robert Hawkins. Haunted by death, betrayal, guilt, the poems of Rene Ricard express themselves from a wounded heart. The drawings that accompany them have the simplicity children's book illustrations, but reveal threatening shadows, broken cigarettes, used condoms and flowers without petals. Translated into French by Manon Lutanie and Rachel Valinsky and presented in a bilingual edition, the poems are followed by an unpublished afterword by Robert Hawkins, who recounts his meeting, his friendship and his collaboration with the author. With Love Poems, Éditions Lutanie reaffirms its long-standing commitment decade of reissuing Rene Ricard's out-of-print works for readers English speakers, while presenting them for the first time in French. "In three poems, Rene Ricard reveals the often complex love between different social classes, between those who come from dissimilar worlds, Bowery beggars, small-time street crooks, Hollywood stars or wealthy European aristocrats. Rene Ricard always writes honest poems. Which sometimes hurts." Patrick Fox