René Crevel’s father committed suicide when René was 14 and was left with his mother, who he disliked (and is caricatured in Difficult Death). Crevel became a writer and joined the surrealist movement when he was 21. He was expelled from the group because of his homosexuality, and tried to rejoin until 1929, when he was once again allowed into the group.
Crevel was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1926, and his illness was complicated with Crevel’s abuse of alcohol and drugs.
The theme of suicide permeates Crevel’s writings, from his very first book Detours (1924), and he tried to kill himself on more than one occasion (including hanging), before finally succeeding on 18 June 1935 by turning on the gas in his kitchen stove. His note read, “Please cremate my body. Loathing.”
