Customer Reviews

The Penguin Book of French Poetry: 1820-1950; With Prose Translations (Penguin Classics)

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One of the great books of the last century, one that never leaves my bedside. Covering the period 1820-1950, this is a canon of extraordinary, varied richness in all culture, never mind French poetry, from the Romantic movement (Lamartine, Huge) to 'Negritude' (Cesaire), and encompassing Surrealism, Symbolism, Lyricism, Cubism, Metropolitanism and Modernity, the Parnassian movement etc. All the giants are well-represented - Baudelaire, Mallarme, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Laforgue, Cendrars, Michaux etc - but the collection's real joy is its recuperating journey of poetry's byways, finding forgotten figures, curiosities, one-offs, such as Tristan Corbiere, Anna de Nouilles, or Charles Cros. Dip in at any page, and you will be treated to poetry of unmatched beauty, strangeness and invention.

After a brief introduction explaining his selection process, and an invaluable technical note on the 'alexandrine', the dominant metre of French poetry, editor/translator William Rees divides his material into historically discrete sections, prefacing each movement and poet. These essays are an accessible mine of invaluable historical, biographical and cultural information. His prose translations, although 'poetic' in themselves, are much preferable in their more literal accuracy, to those translators who abandon faithfulness for some vague notion of 'spirit' which usually only leads ot silliness. A gem of an anthology that deserves a prominent, beloved, dog-eared place on the bedside of any lover of literature.

The diverse French poets of the 20th and 19th centuries have more to offer to modern poets and readers of poetry than any other international grouping of poets I can think of. For years now, I've discovered many exciting variations of poetry through the writings of the more widely known French poets such as Lamartine, Hugo, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Verlaine, Laforgue, Cendrars, and Apollinaire. In this collection of some 56 poets writing between 1820 and 1950, William Rees brings together many other influential and somewhat less widely known poets such as Corbiere, Nouveau, Jammes, Heredia, and Supervielle, together into a developmental chronology of modern poetry. This anthology is perfect for readers unfamiliar with the variety of French poets writing in this 130 year period, and who are open to new possibilities. There are brief biograhpical essays on each poet represented, as well as on the "movements" they are associated with, if at all. The introduction simply describes Rees's pragmatic intentions in translating often untranslatable verse into prose, and also includes a brief historical explanation of the alexandrine.

I've found the anthology to be quite useful when read from beginning to end without dwelling on each poem or poet. In this manner, a reader will gain a general sense of poetry's parallel development with each passing decade or era. Another reason I like this anthology is that it allows one a taste of the bountiful personalities and styles of poetry being read and re-read all the time, and thus, integrated into contemporary poetry whether it be English, American, or African - wherever there are good students. On the whole, and intended or not, it is an instructive and insightful compendium displaying the purpose and essentiality of poetry to civilization. Despite the inherent problems with translating foreign poetry into another language, the content of the poems shine through in their English prose translations; and anyone with a smidgen of French can compare the author's originals to their translations. An exciting time-period in which one writer after another affects the next, and in many places, influence one another side-by-side. Read it straight through, or thumb through it like a phone-book to dial into a brand new personality and take on life. Any which way you decide, there are broadly influential contacts here anxiously awaiting fresh readers with whom to converse, debate, or share timeless thoughts and ideas with.

You'll have a hard time trying to find a better introduction to French poetry than William Rees' book. The poems are presented in its original French version and they are translated into prose. Reese doesn't bother with a cumbersome, most often inaccurate verse translation, which I find perfectly fine to respect the authenticity of the poets' intention. Here you will find the best poems of the best poets from the Romanticism onwards. A lovely book to carry on your strolls along Paris or to taste at home and daydream away

I got this as a gift a few years ago & still read it regularly. It is great for language study & reading poetry is always relaxing. I also recommend DoverPublications.com for other dual language poetry & short story books. Very affordable with great variety of subjects & languages. Always a fun way of studying!

I studied English literature in college as well as some upper level French, but this is my first serious endeavor to study French literature. I like the structure and organization of the book very much! There is plenty of cultural, historical, and literary context for each movement, as well as introductions to each author and suggestions for further study. Each poem has a page by page translation to help with vocabulary building, but no other critique offered on the poem itself.

I like the book because it is well balanced but allows the reader to explore at his or her own pace. With plenty of information to read, but structure to skip over what you like, I think this book is well suited for those who would like to peruse it in their own leisure!

The product arrived in a timely manner and in perfect condition. I will remember this vendor for my future purchases.