Prose Poems

by Pierre Reverdy, Ron Padgett (Translator)

Poetry. Translated from French by Ron Padgett. PROSE POEMS is Pierre Reverdy's first collection of poems, originally published in 1915. Reverdy was born in Narbonne in 1889. In 1910 he came to Paris, where he knew no one, but he soon met Guillaume Apollinaire and Max Jacob, as well as Picasso, Matisse, Braque, and Juan Gris, who later illustrated his books. "I loved its austerity, its spookiness, and what I imagined to be its cubism"--Ron Padgett.

Genres: Poetry, France

61 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Pierre Reverdy (September 13, 1889 – June 17, 1960) was a French poet whose works were inspired by and subsequently proceeded to influence the provocative art movements of the day, Surrealism, Dadaism and Cubism. The loneliness and spiritual apprehension that ran through his poetry appealed to the Surrealist credo. He, though, remained independent of the prevailing “isms,” searching for something beyond their definitions. His writing matured into a mystical mission seeking, as he wrote: “the sublime simplicity of reality."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_R...

Reviews

[Matthieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost too pure.

[Tosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice visit to Pierre Reverdy's first book "Prose Poems," here translated by great poet Ron Padgett. I first read this book some years ago, and re-reading it now I'm struck by its mood of noir like touches. The Prose poem format is one I like very much. They are little narratives on the page, that reminds me of a detective story or may be the quiet images of Fantomas. Fascinating work.

Pierre Reverdy's Prose Poems (translated by wonderful poet Ron Padgett) is a great read. I read the first half of the book going to work and finished it going home. Perfect transportation book.

But beyond that Reverdy is sort of a mystery to me, and I like that. The prose poems are really tight, and they sort of just give out little clues of a certain stressful incident or a reflection of a mood. Minimal but powerful. I want to go back to the New Directions edition of his select poetry.

Also I want to point out that the press Brooklyn Rail did a nice (and simple) design job on this. Good lookin' book!

[Edita · Rating 3 out of 5]

In his fall he
understood that he was heavier than his dream and he loved,
from then on, the weight that had made him fall.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's all about the vibe.

Dusty books. Chipped saucers. Rustling leaves. Long shadows traversing a craggy ravine. Watching. Waiting. For whom? Or for what?

You tell me.

[Gerry LaFemina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Padgett's terrific translations bring this small volume of modernist prose poems into English in a way that captures their creepiness, their beauty, and their roots in pre-surrealist Modernist traditions. For prose poem fans, this is a must read.

[RJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reverdy's poetry is my favorite of all time. I can't even explain how heavy of an experience reading one of his poems is for me. These prose pieces didn't quite hit me like his verse did, but there are some great cubist techniques on display (I like the confusion of foreground/background in a lot of them) and the book is a great read. Best to read it after the amazing Kenneth Rexroth translation of Reverdy's selected poems, though.

[Maarten Buser · Rating 4 out of 5]

(In de vertaling van Rein Bloem, niet de Engelse vertaling, maar de originele Poèmes en prose staat niet op de site. Anders had ik daar op gestemd.)