Dear Roger Grenier,

The late François Caradec told me that you were the only "editor" who read the manuscripts submitted to him. So I listened to you carefully on France Inter this noon. Surprised to hear you speak of me, or rather of my Study on Dada and Surrealist Theater, initially edited in the "Les Essais" collection, in 1967. This indirect and spontaneous publicity would have pleased me, if you did not make me pass for an imbecile, or, at least, an ignoramus. You evoked the chapter on Julien Torma, withdrawn at your request and that of Raymond Queneau, by saying that you had advised me to deepen my knowledge. However, you know well that it was not a problem of knowledge that moved you, both of you, since I was not dealing at all with the person, real or supposed, of Julien Torma, but with the work which, despite all the tricks of the Collège de Pataphysique, is given to read (Le Bétrou has even been performed since). But what's the use of repeating all this, which is written and published in the reissue of this essay, in the Idées/Gallimard collection, No. 406, where I put back the excluded chapter, with the necessary information (see p. 21-23).

Until now, I held you for a humanist and a man concerned with the sensitivity of others. I note, alas, that you fall back into the common lot, and I am strongly disappointed. At least you could let the listeners of France Inter know that, young as I was then, I was not as credulous and ignorant as your radio remarks suggest. All the more so as the show is now available to the public for eternity! In the meantime, I beg you, dear Roger Grenier, to receive my youthful greetings.

Henri BÉHAR

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Dear Henri Béhar,

I fear you have misunderstood. If I remember correctly, after speaking with Queneau, I hear between his laughter, I asked you to pursue your research on Julien Torma a little further, which was a polite way of alerting you to this chapter devoted to an author who does not exist. You got out of it very well by writing that his existence or not was not the problem. All this is nothing offensive to you and I deplore that you take offense.

With my very cordial regards

Roger Grenier