Les Murs Ont La Parole

Tokyo: Takeuchi-shoten, 1969. First Japanese edition. Oblong 8vo (13x19cm), French Flaps with printed obi. Unpaginated 144pp. Translated by Masayoshi Hirota. Designed by Kiyoshi Awazu. Text in Japanese. Small damp stain on obi. Slight edge wear with mild soiling. Near fine.

The french journalist Julien Besançon had been commenting on major live events, like John F. Kennedy‘s funeral and the first steps on the moon for the French television station Europe 1.

While covering the events of May 1968, Julien Besancon felt the need to preserve the graffitis, that the protestors had written on the walls. These writings, many of them fragments of literature, quoting poets and political thinkers, were as spontaneous as they were ephemeral.

The Japanese edition of Les Murs ont la Parole was published in 1969, one year after the first French edition, and offers a completely different experience through the powerful combination of text and images. Beautifully designed by Kiyoshi Awazu, one of the leading designers in postwar Japan.