A complete collection in 109 issues of the short-lived art and literature journal, each issue 6-8 pp., with scattered illustrations. Year 1 large folio (17 7/8 x 13 3/4 inches), Year 2 small folio (14 3/4 x 10 inches). Red cloth with gilt-stamped leather title labels to spines. Light soiling to covers of first volume, some light toning throughout, overall very good. Lausanne: Mermod, 1929-1931.

Aujourd'hui was edited by Charles Ferdinand Ramuz, a Swiss novelist, poet, and playwright, and was published by Henry-Louis Mermod, a Swiss industrialist, patron, and Ramuz's publisher. The journal was fairly short-lived and despite its high quality, never reached large circulation numbers. Its commercial failure was attributed to its being "out of step with the French-speaking public, and especially the Vaudois public, which it was primarily targeting" (Fondation Gilbert Trolliet).

Ramuz's goal as editor was "to open a window on current events, but by privileging the view that artists take of the reality that surrounds them, and by insisting on originality as a distinctive value." It only managed to continue being published thanks to the enthusiasm and generosity of Mermod, who bankrolled the journal. In the final issue, an editorial note mentions that a third series will continue in the form of twelve montly notebooks, each devoted to the work a single author.

The literary and artistic contributions to Aujourd'hui come from many of the most important writers and artists working at the time. The list includes Pablo Picasso, Gustave Roud, Paul Budry, Charles-Albert Cingria, Jean Cocteau, Adrien Bovy, René Auberjonois, André Guex, Florian Delhorbe, Maurice Barraud, Gilbert Trolliet, Henri Rohrer, Pierre-Louis Matthey, Félix Vallotton, Paul Verlaine, Rodolphe-Théophile Bosshard, Alfred Jarry, Casimir Reymond, Jack Cornaz, Ernest Rogivue, Hugin, Géa Augsbourg, and many others.

Scarce institutionally; as of January 2025, OCLC locates only a few original printings of Aujourd'hui in United States institutions, and a handful of modern reprints.

Book ID: 53103

Price: $6,500.00