Raymond Roussel was born in Paris in 1877. His writings, including the novels Impressions of Africa and LocusSolus and volumes of poetry and drama, were largely ignored in his lifetime, but have since been championed by the likes of Raymond Queneau, Alain Robbe-Grillet, Georges Perec, Harry Mathews, and John Ashbery. Roussel died under mysterious circumstances in 1933, decades before his work began receiving the popular acceptance he craved.
Mark Polizzotti is a prize-winning translator, and the author of eight books, including Revolution of the Mind: A Life of Andr� Breton. His translations include works by Jean Echenoz, Paul Virilio, Jean Baudrillard, Raymond Roussel, Maurice Roche, Gustave Flaubert, Jen Senac, and the Surrealists.