Unbroken Poetry II: Poésie ininterrompue II

by Paul Éluard, Gilbert Bowen (Translator), Jill Lewis (Introduction)

Paul Éluard’s poetry is concerned with sexual desire and the desire for social change. A central participant in Dada and in the Surrealist movement, Éluard joined the French Communist Party and worked actively in the Resistance in Nazi-occupied Paris. Caught between the horrors of Stalinism and post-war, right-wing anti-communism, his writing sustains an insistent vision of poetry as a multi-faceted weapon against injustice and oppression. For Éluard, poetry is a way of infiltrating the reader with greater emotional awareness of the social problems of the modern world. Unbroken Poetry II, published posthumously in 1953, pays tribute to Dominique Éluard, with whom Paul spent the last years of his life. It traces the internal dialogues of a passionate relationship as well as of his continuing re-evaluation of the poetic project it-self. It centres on political commitment and places it at the heart of the lovers’ desire.

Genres: Poetry

154 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Paul Éluard was the pen name of Eugène Émile Paul Grindel. French poet, a founder of Surrealism with Louis Aragon and André Breton among others, one of the important lyrical poets of the 20th century. Éluard rejected later Surrealism and joined the French Communist Party. Many of his works reflect the major events of the century, such as the World Wars, the Resistance against the Nazis, and the political and social ideals of the 20th-century.

Reviews

[Guillaume · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion, the magic of Eluard is most apparent in this wonderful piece of beauty. Every word is perfectly chosen, every sentence and verse carries its load of accurate simplicity. Love and light shine out of every single page, only to be collected by our avid eyes. Not the typical style of Eluard that every French pupil learns in school, but a highly recommended piece nonetheless. This bilingual edition is also a very nice way to share Eluard's wonders with friends who don't speak French.