from Guy Debord

To Raoul Vaneigem
Thursday, the 10th [October 1968]
Dear Raoul:


I have received your express letter. Of course we must limit this donation[1] to the temporal frame, renewable or not.

After everything that we have already seen – in Sweden and elsewhere – we would be quite culpable if we did not bear in mind all the harmful possibilities. If all this[2] – quite probable, nevertheless – ends up representing some money, we could see some new [form of] Nashism make itself known “more legally” than we could as the SI and use this money to combat us.

Another thing concerning the natural – and artificially augmented – fragility of our lives: I do not want to be condemned to be the editorial director of I.S. until death frees me from it![3]

Agreed on the frames [les tranches]. Wouldn’t it be better to reduce this period to three years? (If five years doesn’t constitute some kind of mysterious legal minimum?) Three years seems to be a temporal unit better adapted to the rhythm of our activities (and the first economic fate of the book[4] will be realized during this period).

I live in Paris.[5]

I will expect you Tuesday afternoon (at Alice’s place[6]).

Best wishes,
Guy

[1] The donation of the posthumous rights to the Treatise on Living by Raoul Vaneigem, established in the name of Guy Debord as the editorial director of the journal Internationale Situationniste.

[2] Translator: the post-May 1968 visibility of the SI and its ideas.

[3] Translator: Debord would in fact resign as editorial director after the publication of I.S. #12 in September 1969.

[4] Translator: the Treatise on Living, known in English as The Revolution of Everyday Life.

[5] Translator: street address deleted.

[6] Translator: Alice Becker, later Alice Becker-Ho, and still later (circa 1973) Ms Guy Debord.


(Published in Guy Debord Correspondance, Vol "0": Septembre 1951 - Juillet 1957: Complete des "lettres retrouvees" et d l'index general des noms cites by Librairie Artheme Fayard, October 2010. Translated from the French by NOT BORED! April 2011. Footnotes by the publisher, except where noted.)




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