Louis ARAGON (1897-1982). Autograph manuscript signed, J'abats mon jeu, [1959]; 2 pages and a quarter in-4. Presentation of his book J'abats mon jeu (E.F.R., 1959). "J'abats mon jeu... [...] I play. Yes. In a world where all the cards are wrong, where I'm on the side of those who always lose, and are tired of losing. My game is theirs. I play to give them weapons. When I was young, I chose the game of writing. I've played it in many ways, slowly learning to lose. My life, my soul. I always had my cards beaten. And even a certain delight in seeing them carried away by the wind. I play the game. But this game is no longer the game it was then. I look for weapons, and I find them. [...] my game is no longer just mine, for it has become the size of the world"... The book is made up of texts written after Holy Week, as well as "articles, words spoken in the last five years, which have to do with socialist realism". He explains why "Soviet literature" features so prominently... "I don't like all the writers there; their works are uneven. [...] There is, even in the weakness, the awkwardness, something like a glimmer, the reflection of a changed reality. [...] I have gathered these texts to prove to myself that I am not alone. That others, seeing my game, will join in. For them, I'm bringing my game down. For I am against secret diplomacy.