The Self-Dismembered Man: Selected Later Poems of Guillaume Apollinaire (Wesleyan Poetry) (Paperback)

by Guillaume Apollinaire (Author), Donald Revell (Translator) "Au-dessus de Paris un jour..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Here is a work that is devoted, fresh, tender and full of care, both in its selection and in the translation. It succinctly sketches a bridge between Apollinaire, poet of the early 20th century and poetry at present." -- Norma Cole, author of Cross-Cut Universe: Writing on Writing From France

Review
"Here is a work that is devoted, fresh, tender and full of care, both in its selection and in the translation. It succinctly sketches a bridge between Apollinaire, poet of the early 20th century and poetry at present." (Norma Cole, author of Cross-Cut Universe: Writing on Writing From France )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Wesleyan (March 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0819566918
• ISBN-13: 978-0819566911
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,101,228 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good collection., February 15, 2005

By	Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Guillaume Apollinaire, The Self-Dismembered Man (Wesleyan, 2004)

This selection of Apollinaire's war poems, translated by Donald Revell, is not the "first substantial translation" the jacket claims (both the Selected Poems and Michael Benedikt's must-have collection The Poetry of Surrealism contain extensive selections from the same time-period), but it certainly is a substantial work, and one that everyone who claims to be a fan of surrealism needs to read, and pronto. Revell's translations have an almost singular ability to keep Apollinaire's subtle wit intact, and his word choices often allow a number of different interpretations to come through. Not to say that some of Revell's word choices emphasize certain interpretations; there's no way to avoid this when translating poetry. Still, he seems to have made a conscious effort to be as ambiguous as Apollinaire wherever possible, which is a wonderful thing.

The only slipping point is the final poem, "La Jolie Rousse," but then I've had problems with every translation of "La Jolie Rousse" since Hamburger's a quarter of a century ago, so my thoughts aren't to be trusted on that one.

Very good stuff, well worth picking up. ****