Comment Lire

by Pound ezra

1924: aprs douze ans en Angleterre et quelques saisons de vie parisienne, au cours desquels il est pass d'une posie encore trs fin de sicle aux confins de dada, Pound s'installe en Italie. Et fait le point sur ses la posie est universelle et commence avec la posie chinoise ancienne (la mthode idogrammatique, qui influera tant sur les Cantos); traduire, traduire encore, traduire toujours ("Tout ge prtendument grand est un ge de traductions"); apprendre "charger de sens au plus haut degr le langage". Et tailler dru dans "le business de la fioritura"... "Je prie le lecteur d'observer que je suis extrmement iconoclaste." Le contraire et t tonnant. A l'occasion du quarantime anniversaire de la mort d'Ezra Pound, voici une rdition de Comment lire dans une nouvelle traduction complte de Philippe Mikriammos, annote et postface par ses soins.

Genres: Essays

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1931

Reviews

[Uroš Đurković · Rating 4 out of 5]

Književnost je jezik ispunjen smislom. Velika književnost je jezik ispunjen smislom do najvećeg mogućeg stepena. Zato je veština pisanja veština pronalaženja i unošenja smisla u tkivo jezika. S tim u vezi treba razlikovati tri nivoa postojanja književnog teksta:

Melopeja – muzički sloj reči;

Fanopeja – vizuelni aspekt reči;

Logopeja – „ples intelekta među rečima”, korišćenje reči u neočekivanom, nedoslovnom značenju.

Jednostavno? Čini se. Ali ovo je tek početna postavka, skeniranje terena. Prava priča tek sledi.

Jer kad se osvesti nešto ovako očigledno, čitanje se produbljuje, ali i, istina, postaje deo Paundovog poetičkog sklopa čiji je jedan od ishoda sledeći: da bi pesma bila dobra, ona mora da ima podsticajan sloj zvučanja, da bude sugestivna u predmetnosti koju nosi, ali i da na inovativan način predstavi odnos između pojmova i pojava. Naravno, za takav zadatak neophodno je ostvariti odgovarajuću formu, a pesničko umeće se ispoljava i kroz osećaj za meru onoga što zvuk, slika i pojam donose.

U navedenom poduhvatu uspeli su zaista retki i Paund čak navodi kategorije autora u odnosu na „uspelost” opusa. Najvažniji su tu pronalazači i majstori: dok prvi uspostavljaju formu, drugi je dovode do vrhunca, čineći svoje prethodnike neautentičnim. Ipak, najveći broj stvaralaca pripada „razvodnjivačima”, kao i autorima koji su dosegli određen nivo umeća i ne može im se mnogo toga zameriti, ali nikad neće dobaciti do izuzetnosti.

[Sadra · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only remarkable point I got from this book was a connection Ezra Pound makes between post-1848 Germany and the rise of Nazism and fascism. According to Pound, the German educational system after 1848 was deliberately designed to suppress independent thought — and this intellectual numbness, he argues, laid the groundwork for totalitarianism. Ironically, Pound himself later became an ardent supporter of Mussolini's fascism, which makes this particular insight both sharp and uncomfortably self-revealing.

[Paul W. B. Marsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a little gem by Ezra Pound written in a conversational way as he sounds off on good books throughout history to read and a method for reading. It can get a bit idiosyncratic and some classics aren’t mentioned by him. Nevertheless, it is one viewpoint on ‘what’ to read as well as ‘how’ to read.
To quote Pound - “Great literature is simply language charged with meaning to the utmost possible degree.” (Part II)
For example, Pound suggests that readers should understand the different classes of writers from inventors, masters, diluters and period writers, down to those writers who start crazes. Of course, deciding on which class a writers belongs to isn’t cut and dried.
In this way, Pound sets out a method for readers to follow in order to comprehend and critique writings.
I recommend this book to readers to give them one way of how to read.

[Minotaurochs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat insightful and funny/entertaining. However, you should skip it and just read 'ABC of Reading', much more lucid.

[Mandy E · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Comparative Literature Major's vindication: "Modern science has always been multilingual. A good scientist simply would not be bothered to limit himself to one language and be held up for news of discoveries. The writer or reader who is content with such ignorance simply admits that his particular mind is of less importance than his kidneys or his automobile." (47) Why is it that in some people contemptuousness is endearing? Does it have to do with its reception by the auditor or the moral orientation of the contempt?

[Christopherseelie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Idiosyncratic to the extreme and very funny in parts.

[mono · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ω - Old man Ezra yelling at the moon.