Translator’s Introduction
Fanny Clar, pen name of Clara Fanny Olivier (1875-1944), was a French journalist and writer, as well as a socialist and feminist activist. Author of a varied body of work, her writings include novels, poetry, plays, and books for children. On Clar, a recent – and very topical – article in English is available here.
This little piece, named after the fortune-telling card spread entitled the Great Game – Le Grand Jeu, provides something of a contrarian view on the divinatory phenomenon, advocating a certain Stoicism instead. In effect, Clar’s view is very much in line with the concept of the amor fati of the ancient Stoic philosophers, although we have been unable to identify the source of the quotation cited, perhaps from Seneca, Epictetus, or Marcus Aurelius.
The original article was published as ‘Le Grand Jeu,’ in Floréal, 11 December 1920, no. 45, p. 1044, and may be read here.
Illustration by J. Clar
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The Great Game
Fanny Clar
Merchants of futures, tellers of fortunes good and bad, readers of tarot cards have never had such a great prosperity.
I am only saying this from hearsay. I cannot give any information drawn from personal experience. I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to peer through the skylight of Tomorrow. For the past, who better than I myself who lived through it, to tell me as to its value?
I will thus never question the coffee grounds. Never have I allowed myself to indiscreetly question the Queen of Diamonds to know what influence on my destiny the encounter with the dark woman or the gangly young man will have.
The future is a ribbon which the Parcae has wrapped around her gnarly finger. Each day its width tightens. If it is sewn of good and honest thread right to the end, I will call myself satisfied. As to knowing how long is left to wrap, as to knowing whether there will be knots in the weave, what use is it? If I can do nothing about it, then what use is it to even think about it?
And I share the opinion of that philosopher, very simplistic perhaps, but whose philosophy appears to me to be acceptable:
“If I have good news to reap, I will always be pleased. If I must receive only bad news, then what use is it to allow it to preoccupy my mind?”
I do not think this is a dumb idea. What the Great Game has in store for us, the future will unveil in due course. To force it to speak beforehand will not prevent us from becoming its prey.
It is my opinion that it is preferable to spend our time in the best way we can manage, without interfering with our neighbour’s share. To reach the end of the thread, with a serene soul and good humour, I do not see any other method to recommend to you.
To times of unease correspond this imperious desire of interrogating the future. Credulity exasperates itself when, tired of reality, poor humanity desperately seeks some hope in the smoke of dreams. After the great shocks, fears, doubts, exasperated nervousness create tormented minds, the prey of chiromancers of all stripes.
It is the bottom of Pandora’s box that the client comes to query in the small office of the merchant of the future. The one and the other know it and mutually deceive each other.
I do not think that, if either of them were indisputably certain of buying and selling visions of tomorrow, the one would dare ask and the other dare reply.
No, I do not believe so.
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Traditional Tarot 