Ulises Carrión | Arguments

Ulises Carrión

Arguments

Geneva, Switzerland: Editions Héros-Limite, 2005

[96] pp., 21 x 15 cm., softcover

Edition of 750

The rare second edition of Ulises Carrión’s bookwork Arguments, which was originally published in 1973 by the Beau Geste Press). 

Available from Jonathan Hill Bookseller, here, for $150.00 US. 

"The book Arguments was made with the help of Beau Geste Press. The founders of BGP were Mexican artists Felipe Ehrenberg and Martha Hellion. They ran a printing community of artists’ publications with their children and like-minded people in the countryside of Devon. Ulises, Felipe and Marta knew each other from a circle of pioneering artists, writers and actors – regular visitors of a cultural center in Mexico City in which Ulises steered the library for some time. While studying in England for his Master’s degree, Carrión contacted the Mexicans after he saw some of their publications. The proposal for Arguments, however, was conceived in Amsterdam. Ehrenberg responded by saying that Ulises had to come over and create the book in collaboration with them. Money was scarce at first, but Felipe’s idea of a luxury edition on coloured paper, meant to be a flirtation with collectors, was thought to solve the financial issues. It soon appeared in an edition of 400 (200 in colour and 200 in white) – a great book among Carrión’s impressive list of books, released in 1973." 

- Tineke Reijnders, 2017

“Carrión humorously interrogates the structure and content of books and the literary devices used by authors and playwrights. The titular exchanges in Arguments are indicated only by the names of the participants, with no reference to the actual content of their disagreements. The distinctly Anglophone names are arranged in various configurations on each page of the book, leaving the reader to wonder about the substance of the disputes.”

- Zanna Gilbert, Artists and Their Books, Books and Their Artists (2018)