SELECTED WRITINGS OF GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE. Translated with a critical introduction by Roger Shattuck

by Guillaume Apollinaire

Apollinaire's classics.

Genres: Poetry, France, Literature, French Literature, Essays, Art, Classics

Hardcover

First published June 1, 1971

About the author

Italian-French poet Guillaume Apollinaire, originally Wilhelm Apollinaris de Kostrowitzky, led figures in avant-garde literary and artistic circles.

A Polish mother bore Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki, this known writer and critic.

People credit him among the foremost of the early 20th century with coining the word surrealism and with writing Les Mamelles de Tirésias (1917), the play of the earliest works, so described and later used as the basis for an opera in 1947.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillau...

Reviews

[knig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here I was, and there Guillaume Apollinaire. And his poetry.

‘But....you’re awful’, I told him. ‘I’ve never read worse’. And when not even a Glass or two made it even more delectable, I realised I would have to learn French. As you do. On a lazy Saturday afternoon. There is, apparently, an entire cosmos contained merely within the sound structure of his poems. Just not in English. Still, acquiring the entire French in an afternoon is a tall order. How to skin this cat? To the rescue, a minor favourite of mine, Poulenc:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwOi1...

OK, now we’re talking.( Umm, singing). I hear it! I hear the sound: the (not so) foolish man who built his house on sound. More!

Et les enfants s’en vont devant
Les autres suivent en rêvant
Chaque arbre fruitier se résigne
Quand de très loin ils lui font signe

Now, all I have to do is figure out the phonetic transcription so I can ride the sound wave. No problem, apparently there is an International Phonetic Alphabet to prop me up here. Quickly, then.....maybe not so quickly actually.....what the deuces, its like learning a second language! Just the letter A has over ten phonetic transcriptions! What! Am I to abandon Le French and learn Phonetic now? Dilemma, dilemma, I only have the one afternoon, demmit. Thats it, only going to concentrate on them ‘ont’ s and ‘ents’, I think. For the purposes.

So. Here we go: the Englishman’s version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEaMr...

This isn’t how a frog Frenchman would say it, but actually, thats irrelevant. As long as the same ‘o’ is maintained, so is the audio consistency of those devants, revants and enfants, which is what matters. Phew.

Look at me now. Here I am, and there Guillame Apollinaire. And his poetry.

‘You’re a bit of alright’, I tell him.

[Fernando · Rating 2 out of 5]

Luego de leer este pequeño libro de relatos compruebo que de perversos no tienen nada.
Guillaume Apollinaire, poeta excelso y padre del Surrealismo junto a André Bretón elabora aquí una serie de cuentos en los que profundiza más en su impresionantes conocimientos acerca de la religión que de la perversidad.
Cuando quiera leer o releer cuentos perversos en el futuro, prefiero recurrir siempre a uno de mis mayores ídolos literarios: Edgar Allan Poe.

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Also as an update I found some film footage of the great poet as well as him reading one of his poems. Go to:
http://tamtambooks-tosh.blogspot.com/

Apollinaire is the ultimate early 20th Century French poet. Meaning that he's totally modern and so into his times and city -Paris. This is an excellent collecton of his work, where one would want to go deep into the world and one can basically smell the era through his writing.

[Open Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

It would be hard to find a character more fascinating than Guillaume Apollinaire. A man who ate orange without peeling it, who placed bets on who'll eat every dish from the restaurant's menu (during one dinner, of course) and who was accused of stealing Mona Lisa. A part of the magical era of Montmartre/Montparnasse.

But this book proves it was not only about an engaging personality - he was also an exceptional writer. Certainly one of the most innovative poets of his time (or rather of all times). To add to this, his prose was also ridiculously entertaining, just like his non-fiction (even if he didn't always get his facts right).

[Mitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This selection is a great one, it's the first Apollinaire book I read, and it got me hooked! A bit of everything here, especially Zone & Calligrammes, and some criticism, which from this guy, was amazing! Masterpiece.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throws you into an unfamiliar dream-like world which constantly presses you for interpretation, but refuses you a very solid one.

[Dead Beat Poet · Rating 5 out of 5]

mind bending and brain expanding

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, he has a pretty legendary rep, I know. To be honest with you his work doesn't inspire me the way Rilke or Jacques Prevert do. His poetry's alright but there wasn't anything daring about it.

[in8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://5cense.com/22/989.htm

[Rhiley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars.

[Michael Wong · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 stars for the Shattuck intro, dated, mostly dealing with taste, four stars for the Apollinaire which was surprisingly good despite the war stuff.

[SD]

I love this cover.

[Robert Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

This man is fascinating and amazing and now I have to learn more French in order to understand him

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

to assist with my pictogram poems

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

New York: New Directions, 1971

[M. J.]

Brother bought me for Christmas.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

One can't really go wrong with Apollinaire, although I would've liked to see more of his fiction and criticism in this volume.

[Tony Iantosca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah we're tied, ok.