The poem, composed of 21 quatrains, remains as relevant today as ever. A universal anthem of resistance, this text remains a guiding light for all those who fight against oppression. Words remain indestructible tools of emancipation. Through concrete metaphors and surrealist imagery, Liberté… seems to make tangible the power we have over our daily lives, our actions, and our choices.
Eugène Emile Paul Grindel, known as Paul Éluard (Saint-Denis, December 14, 1985 – Charenton-le-Pont, November 18, 1952), wrote the poem Liberté… in 1942. A member of the Dadaist movement and one of the pillars of Surrealism, Paul Éluard is recognized for having paved the way for the movement toward politically engaged art. He chose to join the French Communist Party in 1927 alongside Louis Aragon and André Breton. Having already spoken out against Franco’s revolution in his poem Victoire de Gernica, Liberté… first appeared in Poésie et Vérité in 1942. The intention behind this collection of poems of struggle was to sustain hope for victory against the German invasion. As a bold act of defiance, thousands of copies of the poem were printed and parachuted into the maquis. Liberté… thus became a symbol of the French Resistance under the Occupation.
This incantatory poem, like a prayer, is also a hymn to love. Originally intended for Paul Éluard’s beloved, the poem became, in the context of war, a poem dedicated to freedom.
To honor the memory of Paul Éluard, who died suddenly in 1952, publisher Pierre Seghers released a historic edition of the poem in 1953. It was illustrated with graphic forms and solid blocks of color by the painter Fernand Léger. The laporello, an accordion-folded booklet, would leave its mark on the history of art books through its form and stencil-printing technique. The poem was reprinted several times in this format, including this edition, dated around 1960, which was acquired by the ARCS.
Infused with surrealism, this poem-object complements the collection of French manuscripts, which already includes works by several surrealist authors, such as Jacques Baron, Picabia, Jean Cocteau, and Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes.
This copy was donated by Nicaulas Sabourin, son of Dr. Pascal Sabourin. Dr. Sabourin was a professor of French literature at Laurentian University, poet, translator, and author of the Franco-Ontarian language project Le Langagier. Dr. Sabourin received his doctorate from the University of Strasbourg and traveled extensively in Europe. He acquired Liberté… with his wife Monique while a student in France in 1963. His son Pascal, s an alumnus of the University of Ottawa, where he received his Master’s degree, was pleased to donate this poem to the University with the goal of sharing its message more widely.
Poem Reference :
Paul Éluard. “Liberté… J’écris ton nom.”Third edition, known as the “de Klein” edition, published in the early 1960s using silkscreen printing, bearing the inscriptions “© SEGHERS” and “Roger KLEIN, Maître Sérigraphe”. The copy still has its plastic slipcase. P. Segers, n.d. (c. 1960). Collection of French Manuscripts. Archives and Special Collections of the University of Ottawa Library.
To go further :
Mourgues, Elsa. “Liberté”: poème d'amour devenu hymne de la Résistance, Radio France. April 4, 2022. https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceculture/liberte-poeme-d-amour-devenu-hymne-de-la-resistance-6381620 (accessed July 6, 2026).