The Form of the City Changes Faster, Alas, than the Human Heart (French Literature Series) [Paperback]

Jacques Roubaud (Author), Keith Waldrop (Translator), Rosmarie Waldrop (Translator)

Book Description

Series: French Literature Series | Publication Date: June 1, 2006

A sometimes mocking, sometimes poignant tribute to the City of Light.

An homage and response to many of France’s best-known poets, including Charles Baudelaire and Raymond Queneau, this collection moves through the streets of Paris, commenting on its inhabitants, its writers, its monumental past, and all its possible futures. Alternating between honesty and evasion, erudition and lightheartedness, constraint and freedom, The Form of a City Changes Faster, Alas, Than the Human Heart explores a Paris that’s no longer “the one we used to find.”

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this hefty collection, renowned octogenarian novelist and poet Roubaud sets about capturing the city of Paris through a catalogue and discussion of its history, literature, landmarks and streets. Roubaud is a member of the Oulipo group of experimental writers, whose members have included Raymond Queneau and Italo Calvino. The best of these poems breathe new life into this storied city. Roubaud's memorable description of the Eiffel Tower revivifies the clichéd landmark: "A dense crowd amble in the area your four legs straddle/ and gawk up at your nether parts... children are not banned and will go back directly to our countryside and dream, perverted ever after." Notable, too, are the "Six Little Logical Pieces": "—But I'd like/ to think truth/ here and now/ not think of anything/ in this floating world/ this fallible world/ this rotten plank of a world." At times, this detailing of the minutiae of Paris falls flat, as in the poem "License Portrait of Paris 1992," quite literally a list of Paris license plates—though preserving the city in this manner is perhaps part of the point. A thoughtful appendix of notes clarifies references and connections to French literature throughout. (July 18)
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About the Author

Jacques Roubaud, born in 1932, has been a professor of mathematics at the University of Paris X Nanterre. He is one of the most accomplished members of the Oulipo, the workshop for experimental literature founded by Raymond Queneau and Francois Le Lionnais. He is the author of numerous books of prose, theatre and poetry.

Keith Waldrop, Brooke Russell Astor Professor of Humanities at Brown University, has published more than a dozen works each of original poetry and translations. His first book, A Windmill Near Calvary, was shortlisted for the 1968 National Book Award. Other books include The Real Subject: Queries and Conjectures of Jacob Delafon, with Sample Poems, The House Seen from Nowhere, and a translation of The Flowers of Evil by Charles Baudelaire.

Rosmarie Waldrop was born in Germany and has lived in the United States since 1958. The author and translator of dozens of books of poetry, fiction, and criticism, she is the co-founder and co- publisher of Burning Deck Press. Waldrop’s many honors include being named a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, fellowships from the NEA, the Fund for Poetry, and the Lila Wallace–Reader’s Digest Writers’ Award. In 2006 she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Product Details

• Paperback: 247 pages
• Publisher: Dalkey Archive Pr; 1st edition (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564783839
• ISBN-13: 978-1564783837
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #307,827 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A collection written as an homage and response to the best-known poets of France, July 9, 2006

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Form of the City Changes Faster, Alas, than the Human Heart (French Literature Series) (Paperback)

The Form Of A City Changes Faster, Alas, Than The Human Heart is a collection written as an homage and response to the best-known poets of France, including Charles Baudelaire and Raymond Queneau, is the latest work by author Jacques Roubaud. The free verse varies widely in structure from poem to poem, and all the works offer a keenly whetted slice of insight into the dynamic history and culture of France. XVth Arrondissement: no doubt in possession / of a smattering of Latin / an old man in Rue de la / Croix-Nivert smirks / before a store window / of lingerie feminine / "IN FINE"