Mute Objects of Expression [Paperback]

Francis Ponge (Author), Lee Fahnestock (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2006

In Mute Objects of Expression, Francis Ponge proclaims his goal: to accept the challenge that things—-objects—offer to language. These objects and scenes are perceived with unique Pongean art and humor in this volume centering on the unoccupied southern Loire countryside, where his family lived from 1940 to 1943. Because of wartime shortages, much of the book was drafted in a small notebook that made up his sole supply of paper. The poems recall the voices of Marianne Moore and William Carlos Williams and evoke the violent perfume of the mimosa, the cries of carnations, and the flirtations of wasps. He is moved to explore a shadowy town square glimpsed from a bus window. But “to conquer this landscape of Provence? That would be too much!” claimed Ponge. Mute Objects of Expression is one of Ponge’s most important and beloved volumes.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in 1899, Ponge studied both law and philosophy before taking up a variety of editorial and teaching jobs. "Le parti pris des choses (Taking the Side of Things)" Gallimard, 1942, caught the attention of other writers and artists. Wide recognition came in the sixties when Gallimard published several large collections of his poetry and essays. Lee Fahnestock is a translator and critic. Long an admirer of Ponge, her translation of Ponge's "The Making of the Pre" was published by the University of Missouri Press in 1979.

Product Details

• Paperback: 165 pages
• Publisher: Archipelago Books (March 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976395037
• ISBN-13: 978-0976395034
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #599,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)