Mauve Desert (Paperback)

by Nicole Brossard (Author), Susanne de Lotbiniere-Harwood (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Review
?Here is the night landscape of writing and its translation: their un/read erotics. Brossard words desire as a wasteland/paradise motel of language and courage, textualization and difference. This traduction/translation/transportation refuses the familiar erosions of the mind/body question and arouses an aesthetic of expression/perception.?
?Aritha Van Herk

?In Mauve Desert, Nicole Brossard writes from the point of impact; from the collisions between languages, between forms and ideas, between cultures and genders. Her effects too are the effects of collisions: brilliant sparks and white hot fragments, alarm and the possibility of danger, and a momentary light in which we glimpse the bizarrely distorted faces of strangers, which turn out after all to have been our own.?
?Margaret Atwood -- Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
“Here is the night landscape of writing and its translation: their un/read erotics. Brossard words desire as a wasteland/paradise motel of language and courage, textualization and difference. This traduction/translation/transportation refuses the familiar erosions of the mind/body question and arouses an aesthetic of expression/perception.”
–Aritha Van Herk

“In Mauve Desert, Nicole Brossard writes from the point of impact; from the collisions between languages, between forms and ideas, between cultures and genders. Her effects too are the effects of collisions: brilliant sparks and white hot fragments, alarm and the possibility of danger, and a momentary light in which we glimpse the bizarrely distorted faces of strangers, which turn out after all to have been our own.”
–Margaret Atwood --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 206 pages
• Publisher: Coach House (March 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552451720
• ISBN-13: 978-1552451724
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,452,170 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Translations galore, March 30, 2002

By	Vanessa Ogilvy (State College, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mauve Desert (Paperback)

Mauve Desert is an excellent book and especially interesting for people interested in postmodern, translation and/or feminist theories. It is also a great example of a "hypertext" or non-linear text and one which incorporates scientific metaphors into the plot seamlessly. Brossard has done an exceptional job of both illustrating and dissecting issues of translation and language, especially as they relate to the world of mothers and daughters. Mauve Desert deftly negotiates several issues of linguistic mobility, both within the framework of the book and in the translation from the French original. She slips in and out of the languages of English, French and mathematics with ease. Ironically, despite this, my only issue with Mauve Desert is precisely one of translation. In both the French original and the English translation there is some linguistic cross-over in her word-play. Although the translator (Susanne de Lotbiniere-Harwood) does an admirable job with the bulk of the book, there are some expressions that should have been left as they were in the original (in my opinion). Regardless of this minor issue, there is nothing that truly detracts from Brossard's text and I recommend it highly - particularly the French original if you can read the language and are lucky enough to get your hands on a copy (they are even harder to come by than the English version)!
(N.B. I would prefer to give it 4.5 stars because of translation issues, but I can't bring myself to give it a 4.)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this book is not out of print, March 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mauve Desert (Paperback)

Nicole Brossard is brilliant. It is advisable to read up on feminist theory a bit before you dive in. Otherwise some central symbols and meaning will be lost to you. If you like David Lynch... Brossard is way better. Some knowledge of the French language would be a boon also, if one is inclined to onamastic study. read it. then read it again. then put it aside for a year. read it again. repeat as required.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everybody should read this book, October 6, 2000

By	Damian (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mauve Desert (Paperback)

I agree with the first reviewer. I recommend this book to everyone, although I have heard that some people find it a bit difficult to read at times. I think this is partly because the book has a dreamlike quality to it - by that I mean time moves strangely sometimes and there are different elements all acting at once - but like a dream, the whole flows together. If anyone is interested, an artist did a multimedia project, with the same title, based on the book. I think the artists' name is Adrienne Jenik and I believe she taught in the University of California system. The project she created is great, and it adds a level of interpretation and complexity to Brossards work. I highly recommend it.