Sun of Consciousness

by Édouard Glissant, Nathanaël (Translator)

"Vue de l'esprit. Écume de la ville, sur la vague, inaperçue. Soit sur la vague, soit dans la ville, l'écume est fragile. Elle attend le moment d'être à l'épreuve du rivage, et jusque-là elle s'efforce de durer sur sa crête. Quant au passeur d'écumes, que peut-il à son tour, sinon tâcher de durer ? Sans même que la confrontation sur le rivage lui soit certaine. Avec seulement, entre deux souffles, la voix portée de ceux qui lui sont, ici, proches et inconnus. Sachant ainsi, à ce moment, qu'il lui est donné à la fois, et pour toutes les raisons, d'être le même et d'être l'autre, le fils ensemble et l'étranger."C'est dans ce tout premier essai que s'offrent au lecteur les idées-forces de la poétique d'Édouard Glissant, où le concept est sans cesse relayé par la présence concrète de l'imaginaire.

Genres: Poetry, 20th Century, Philosophy, Essays, French Literature

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Édouard Glissant was a French writer, poet, philosopher, and literary critic from Martinique. He is widely recognised as one of the most influential figures in Caribbean thought and cultural commentary.

Reviews

[S P]

'I who am laughing in all this marble - marble being the lyric newness of trees when winter enters the heart and unpeoples it… So I push some islands against the wall, I isolate a swath of silence and unleash it. Then I pick up the earth that has fallen, the earth of experience, word by word, with the effort.'

('From The Gaze to Language', p14)

[Shivanee Ramlochan]

You will have to pay attention. Listen close. In the seams of the language, meaning swells like the winter sea, fans out in the plumage of flame trees.

[Andrew Austin]

I got completely lost in this book, or BY this book, but in a wonderful way. These meandering thoughts on race, immigration, art, creation, inspiration, self-awareness (etc. etc.) resonate as strongly today (particularly as one who finds meaning through art) as when written in 1956. I expect I will reread and dive into the depths as the months of isolation continue.

[adelaide]

incredibly powerful meditation on art, race, and history. i’ll be thinking abt this one.
on art- “et s’il ne résout pas de problèmes, du moins aide-t-il aussi à les poser dans la lumière trop diffuse, quand la connaissance est possible et toujours futur.” 🤯

[Kareem]

Sun of Consciousness is a profound exploration of identity, culture, and the interconnectedness of all things. This philosophical work offers a unique perspective on the world, challenging traditional notions of nationhood, history, and the self.

Glissant's central concept is that of "relationality." He argues that all human beings are interconnected and interdependent, and that our identities are shaped by our relationships with others and with the natural world. This idea of relationality is central to Glissant's understanding of culture, which he sees as a dynamic and constantly evolving process rather than a fixed and unchanging entity.

Glissant also explores the concept of "creolity." Creolity refers to the process of cultural mixing and hybridization that occurs when different cultures come into contact with one another. Glissant argues that creolity is a positive force that can lead to new forms of creativity and understanding.

Sun of Consciousness is a challenging but rewarding read. Glissant's writing is dense and philosophical, but his ideas are ultimately accessible to readers who are willing to engage with them. The book is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all things and the importance of cultivating a sense of empathy and understanding towards others.

[kari trail]

“there are no longer individuals, but a single body tendered toward its destiny”

i truly did not understand most of this as hard as i tried… just underlined a few gorg lines here and there, confused, enamored... that being said: i do think he’s probably onto something.

somewhere there is an old lady smoking thoughtfully off her houseboat, morning coffee downed, already having read a poem about water and emotional permeability that had a lot of parentheses and funny line breaks, on the verge of selling everything she owns and moving to the carribean and writing experimental political essays, who will one day stumble across this book in a free little library and have her life changed. and for that i am grateful.

[Hugo Ávila Ramírez]

Oscuro y complejo. Pero rescato 1) la poesía 2) la visión que tiene el poeta de la modernidad 3) la idea de que el colonialismo y la colonialidad, el capitalismo y la glibalización, "limpian", "emblanquecen", "suavizan", la literatura, digamos, periférica.

[Cary Stough]

"I was populating that Parisian solitude, I was trying to nail solar keys to the measured door of the New Domain" (39).

[Adam]

Beautiful book yet very hard to follow and understand at times. Easy flow though and definitely engaging and beautifully poetic even if it’s meaning was often very ambiguous.

[Samuel]

I understand this in pieces, not as whole, due to my own limitations. The pieces are beautiful, and I bet the whole is even more astounding.

[shamaya]

new diva alert!! looove the thoughts of the city, the horror of history, the poetry, the unifying of disperse things. gonna be returning to this for sure

[Ocean Chamberlain]

Not a single word in this book is wasted. “The quasi-necessity for chaos at a time when all being is chaos”. Wowowowow!!!! How I adore this little yellow book!!

[junie]

love

[ipek]

Trot slowly, or you may miss it.

[Claire Zhang]

basking in the sun of conciousness