The Powers of the Word by Rene Daumal

The Powers of the Word: Selected Essays and Notes 1927 - 1943, Rene Daumal.

Translated and introduced by Mark Pollizzotti, published by City Lights, 1991.
Rene Daumal was a French poet and essayist, 1908-1944. He was also the author of the satire A Night of Serious Drinking and the unfinished novel Mount Analogue.
The cover photograph is of Daumal at the age of 15, experimenting with 'paroptic' vision.