Pierre Delattre

Farewell to Pierre

“Come, fallen angel, and your pink wings close;Doff your white robe, your rays that gild the skies;You must—from heaven, where once you used to rise—Streak, like a shooting star, fall into prose.”

Théophile Gautier, 1811-72from “Farewell to Poetry”

Pierre Delattre seemed to live a thousand lives all at the same time in every time zone on earthand every galaxy known to science and every spiritual pathway to ecstasy, mysticism andatonement. He was father and husband and friend. He knew trees and dirt, the sky and wind, wildberries and fallen leaves, Yeats and Proust. He honored life and the archetypal journey ofmankind by freely giving his soul to friends and strangers, by singing and dancing and playingthe flute, by being present in the lives of countless souls that needed him as he needed us. Aboveall, Pierre Delattre was a first class philosopher-poet who wore the wings of a novelist.

Pierre was a community activist decades before the term was invented or in vogue feeding thehungry with food and art in 1950’s North Beach, CA. Some know him as the quintessential Beat:a life dedicated to beatitudes of his own making. He was experimental; he was traditional; hewas a classicist; and he made it up as he went along. There was simply no one like PierreDelattre, and he earned his place in 20th century literature.

Through the many episodes of Pierre’s rich and fulfilling life, he cultivated his talents in thevisual arts and rebirthed himself as a fulltime painter of renown in northern New Mexicocombining brushstrokes on canvas with natural materials he collected on walks with Nancy. Hetold countless stories through his paintings and worked tirelessly to his very final days on hisoeuvre and legacy in this medium. He also wrote novels and poetry with feverish energy andhopefulness to the end.

Pierre was a cosmic blend of humor, humility, intelligence, pride, physical prowess and creativegenius. He was a virtuoso without doubt and his main instrument was his human touch. With aword or song or poem or joke, he brought us to his level transcending the worldly through hisdaily practice of writing, hiking, swimming, corresponding, reading, theorizing or listening. Hispopularity among droves of readers, naturalists, poets, artists, novelists, musicians, students andteachers is unparalleled. He once said, “My aim is to create as much happiness, beauty and lovethrough my art as I possibly can.” That intention will continue to be realized in perpetuity by allwho knew Pierre as a man and his work as an artist.

Throughout the last third of his life, Pierre and Nancy cultivated their creative union throughdisciplined art practice that included much hard work, intentional experience of nature,friendship and social gatherings where deep discussions were always at the forefront. At thesame time, their joie de vivre - their pure delight and amazement in simply being alive - inspiredmany people to join them in celebrating the “divine in the ordinary” as Pierre might say. Pierreand Nancy were individual artists who shared a deep love for each other and profoundcommitment to their shared journeys in the arts. Over 35 years in northern New Mexico, theylived in Dixon and Penasco where they became embedded in those communities sharing in thelove and loss of those they knew.

From his website shared with Nancy: “Pierre Delattre has been called “a narrative artist”perhaps because the lines and images in his acrylic paintings suggest stories to so many of hisviewers, which is not surprising since he is a novelist too, having published five novels and amemoir with Houghton Mifflin, Penguin, Graywolf and others. He has made his living as apainter, working out of his own studio and exhibiting mostly from his own galleries, since l990.

Pierre graduated with honors and distinction from the U. of Penn, and holds graduate degreesfrom the U. of Chicago and The Instituto Allende, a branch of the U. of Mexico in San Miguel.He has received grants from The Bush Foundation, Jerome Foundation and The MacDowellColony. His book Walking On Air (NY Times ‘Notable Book’) was made into a musical inPeterborough, NH. He and Nancy performed a program of their own songs for several years onthe Minnesota Chautauqua Circuit during the time he taught at the University of Minnesota andshe worked for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and COMPAS.

A feature story of his life running a spiritual coffee house in San Francisco’s North Beach duringthe Beat era appeared in Time Magazine. Articles about his art appeared in THE, Santa Fe’sMonthly Magazine of the Arts, where he was lead essayist for seven years.”

One can imagine Pierre’s final dance and recitation of Yeats as he whirled in benevolence payinghomage to his life, to his loved ones, to Nancy…and to the gods of nature and art with whom heenjoyed such intimate relations. His journey must have been brief to join their company since hewas so near the heavens with each step he took, with each song he sung, with each book andpoem he wrote.

Farewell to poetry.

Adieu Maestro.

Terry MulertBelen, New Mexico10.23.22