Published in 1922, Présence de la mort was inspired by the exceptionally hot, dry summer of 1921. In late July, the end of the world was announced: “by an accident in the system of gravitation, the earth falls back to the sun and moves towards, melting back into it.” A heatwave sets in, with the mercury rising daily. On each page, the reader sees the characters becoming aware of their impending death. Behaviors start to change, in an increasingly frantic atmosphere. The lake changes, comes to a standstill. People take fright, run away. The cavalry is called in, electricity is cut off. The train network is immobilized. The inn and bank are robbed, arson attacks multiply, orgies and murder become commonplace. The men form “republics” which they guard with their rifles, letting no one into their villages. Inhabitants and animals die of heat, disease spreads, glaciers melt and mountains fall. Chaos and panic build to a crescendo until the final, inevitable outcome.
And, indeed, they see nothing. They did not see it coming, despite the announcements about it being 36°, 37°, 38° up there on the ice and the snows not accustomed. They continue to move around under the white sky without being surprised by it, because of the contentment in their heads. From time to time they wipe the back of their hand over their foreheads, that’s all.
Présence de la mort, 1922
Caption
Mathieu Bernard-Reymond, He sees the whole glacier start to move up and down with its back, lengthwise, like a snake crawling, from La Grande Peur dans la montagne (1925).
© Mathieu Bernard-Reymond/Musées de Pully