Fugitive Suns: Selected Poetry

by Andrée Chedid, Jon Wagner (Introduction)

Translated from the French and with an Introduction by Lynne Goodhart and Jon Wagner (A Bilingual Edition)

With over twenty-six books of poetry, ten novels, four collections of short stories, and various books of theater, film, essays, and children’s works, Egyptian born Andrée Chedid is one of the most noted authors of our time. Chedid spent most of her childhood in Egypt, making frequent trips to France. Her family also had ties with Lebanon and Syria. Her early education was in Egypt, but she later attended schools in France and completed her secondary education in Paris. She earned a degree in journalism from the American University in Cairo. Accordingly, as a child and young woman, Chedid was exposed to a wide range of cultural experiences, speaking French and English, and with knowledge of spoken Arabic.

For most of her life, however, Chedid has felt most at home in Paris, and , while her fictions are firmly rooted in emotions and images from the Middle East, she has described her poetry as being “free of time and place,” having no “geographical boundaries,” and belonging “to all lands.” The poems of this volume, her first English language collection of poetry, are selected from her entire career, including works from 1949 to 1995.

Genres: Poetry

181 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1999

About the author

Andrée Chedid was a French poet and novelist of Christian Lebanese descent.

When she was ten, she was sent to a boarding school, where she learned English and French. At fourteen, she left for Europe. She then returned to Cairo to go to an American university. Her dream was to become a dancer. She got married to a physician when she was twenty-two, with whom she has two children: Louis Chedid, now a famous French singer, and Michèle. Her work questions human condition and what links the individual to the world. Her writing seeks to evoke the Orient, but she focuses more in denouncing the civil war that destroys Lebanon. She has lived in France since 1946. Because of this diverse background, her work is truly multicultural. Her first book was written in English: On the Trails of my Fancy. She has commented about her work that it is an eternal quest for humanity.

Andrée Chedid is the grandmother of the French rock star -M- (Louis Chedid's son) for whom she has contributed song lyrics including that of Bonoboo on the album Je dis aime.

Reviews

[Jonfaith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the first time a title from Green Integer has disappointed me. I happened across this in our new bookstore yesterday. I wasn't familiar with the author and decided to buy. The author was North African but wrote in French. The poems provided are sparse but wooden. There is a cycle on the impact of a cyclone and a few others which provide images of thirst or a cemetery. I didn't find much innovation, but I did read most of it around football matches, so perhaps the conditions were not ideal.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fall always makes me want to curl up with a book of poetry under a thick blanket. Chedid’s words are warm and surly like a crackling fire - oh how I wish I could write like her.