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The Inventors
And Other Poems
Series: The French List
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The Inventors
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
This book is ideal for readers interested in 20th-century French poetry, fans of poetic translations, and those drawn to poetry enriched by historical and philosophical depth.
IN
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Description
One of the foremost poets of the French Resistance, René Char has been hailed by Donald Revell as “the conscience of modern French poetry.” Translated by Mark Hutchinson, The Inventors is a companion volume to Char’s critically acclaimed Hypnos. It gathers more than forty poems that represent a cross-section of Char’s mature work, spanning from 1936 to 1988.
All three genres of Char’s work are represented here: verse poems, prose poems, and the abrupt, lapidary propositions for which he is best known. These maxima sententia combine the terseness of La Rochefoucauld with the probing and sometimes riddling character of the fragments of Heraclitus.
The Inventors includes a brief introduction to Char’s life and work, as well as a series of notes on the backstories of the works, which explain allusions that may not be immediately familiar to the English-speaking reader. These new translations stay true to the originals, while at the same time conveying much of the music and beauty of the French poems.
Praise for René Char
“Char, I believe, is a poet who will tower over twentieth-century French poetry.”—George Steiner
Series: The French List
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Reviews applaud Hutchinson's translations and Seagull Books' edition as an excellent introduction to Char. The Independent praises the publication as a fine introduction to a major figure, while Bookslut highlights the volume's role in reinvigorating interest in a poet once called "France's greatest living poet" by Albert Camus. Together with Hypnos, this collection is described as stunning.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780857423245
Publisher: Seagull Books London Ltd
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 27 October 2015
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Seagull Books London Ltd
Contributors:
- Translated by Mark Hutchinson
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 1.0mm
Width: 13.0mm
Height: 22.0mm
Weight: 227g
Pages: 112
Collections
About the Author
Rene Char was born in L'Isle-sur-Sorgue in the south of France in 1907 and died in Paris in 1988. A major influence on the generation of French poets who came of age after the Second World War, he was a close friend and associate of Albert Camus. He is widely considered the foremost French poet of his generation. Mark Hutchinson was born in London and lives in Paris. Among his many translations from the French are several books by the poet Emmanuel Hocquard and a collection of essays by the sculptor Raymond Mason.
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