“Waves pass: of cold, of fear, of rage, of impotence, of insubordination, of unconditional protest…
Waves; to land where?”
Henri Michaux, Coups d’arrêt
Le Combat ordinaire [1] could be synonymous with the English expression struggle for life. It’s the title of a series of four comic strips by Manu Larcenet, a prolific author who has been encumbered by success. We discover the central character, Marco, in a dark period of his life beset by crises of anguish and a cessation of what was sustaining him. He used to travel the world as a photographer, but he no longer feels like it. He was in analysis; he puts an end to it (temporarily). But what does he want to do?
His father dies at the end of the second volume. The author then places in the protagonist’s path a strange notebook that the father has kept for decades. Marco reads it from beginning to end, and understands nothing of it. It’s just a series of dated laconic descriptions: “30th of August 1991: Wind. A thin layer of red sand covers the trees”; nothing about him or his brother: an incomprehensible inheritance that initially provokes the character’s anger. Larcenet captures with precision something of the transmission in this notebook.
Hélène Bonnaud wrote that “what the parents would like to transmit is not what the child chooses to receive […]. And then there is what the father and mother transmit without knowing it, unbeknownst to them, and which is ultimately the most surprising” [2]. In Le Combat ordinaire, the character is struggling to find that which could once again sustain him in existence. This notebook appears as a transmission from his father, not only unbeknownst to the father, but above all one that circumscribes the letter of his father – between meaning and outside sense; between his photographic descriptions and the incongruity of noting only that which is “intimate” during his lifetime. And the character chooses to grasp it in his way, a work in abyss from a writer whose drawing acts not only as a link with the Other, but also with life [3].
In this issue of Ombilic, we discover how manifestly the Pipol 10 congress is being prepared! In an interview given for the YouTube Channel, Dominique Holvoet traces the directional lines of the Congress, of its programme, with surprises and novelties. Don’t miss this interview that takes you from the “desire” to register to “wanting” to register!
And of course, three new articles of great quality appear this week, reminding us that this congress is not a “communication” but a passionate work in progress around the contemporaneous theme: “Wanting a Child?”
Finally, I sincerely urge you to visit the Gallery of the Pipol 10 website, which includes the works of artists who offer us the possibility of these articles as illustrated with real gems. This week, an artist and her work are showcased.
Bon voyage!
Bibliography
Lacan J., “On a Question Prior to Any Possible Treatment of Psychosis” (1969), Ecrits, New York City, Norton, 2006, p.464.
Translation: Raphael Montague
Review: Caroline Heanue
Photography: ©Swoboda Frédéric : Www.proximac.blog
[1] Larcenet, M., Ordinary Victories [Le Combat ordinaire], Vol. 1-4, Europe Comics, 2015-2016.
[2] Bonnaud H., L’Inconscient de l’enfant, Paris Navarin, 2013, p. 102.
[3] Interview with Manu Larcenet by Julien Bisson, “To be authentic, art must be close to madness”, Available online here: https://www.lexpress.fr/culture/livre/manu-larcenet-pour-etre-authentique-l-art-doit-etre-proche-de-la-folie_1818506.html
