The literary work of Wols, who died in Paris exile in 1951 at the age of just 38, consists of aphorisms. Written in French, they bear witness to disillusioning experiences in internment camps, during the war, and in the post-war period, and represent a significant contribution to existentialist literature. Wols, who admired William Faulkner, Edgar Allan Poe, Lautréamont, Kafka, and Jean-Paul Sartre, and was friends with Henri-Pierre Roche, recorded his thoughts on tiny slips of paper that he constantly carried in a small travel bag. Almost 60 years after the artist's death, art historian Hans-Joachim Petersen has compiled, transcribed, and edited these notes from the estate for this first complete edition of Wols' aphorisms. A selection of 36 works - photographs, watercolors, and paintings - beautifully complements the collection, mostly in color.