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Where Heat Looms
Andre du Bouchet, born in 1924, is one of the last great modern French poets whose work remains untranslated. Only one small book, The Uninhabited, translated and published by Paul Auster, has appeared in English (Living Hand, 1975). Over the next few years, Sun & Moon Press has committed itself to publishing all the major books of poetry by this world-renowned author.
That his work is so little known in English is strange, given that du Bouchet's life has been closely linked with American and English literature. At the age of 16, du Bouchet traveled to the United States, where he remained for eight years. He received a B.A. degree from Amherst College and an M.A. from Harvard, where he was teaching fellow in English and Comparative Literature.
Upon his return to France, du Bouchet became a translator of English authors such as Shakespeare, Hopkins, and Joyce. He has also translated Holderlin, Celan, Madelstam, and Pasternak.
Where Heat Looms (Dans la chaleur vacante) is an investigation of light and that which is associated with fire, white, wind, sky, air, sun, and flame. In this brilliantly lyrical collection, du Bouchet delights in the natural world while at the same time linguistically probing what he "Setting out again I start over this road doing so / well without me. A giddy firelight embedded in air, / air eddies over the sunken road; Every- / thing goes out. Already day's sheer heat."
That his work is so little known in English is strange, given that du Bouchet's life has been closely linked with American and English literature. At the age of 16, du Bouchet traveled to the United States, where he remained for eight years. He received a B.A. degree from Amherst College and an M.A. from Harvard, where he was teaching fellow in English and Comparative Literature.
Upon his return to France, du Bouchet became a translator of English authors such as Shakespeare, Hopkins, and Joyce. He has also translated Holderlin, Celan, Madelstam, and Pasternak.
Where Heat Looms (Dans la chaleur vacante) is an investigation of light and that which is associated with fire, white, wind, sky, air, sun, and flame. In this brilliantly lyrical collection, du Bouchet delights in the natural world while at the same time linguistically probing what he "Setting out again I start over this road doing so / well without me. A giddy firelight embedded in air, / air eddies over the sunken road; Every- / thing goes out. Already day's sheer heat."
- GenresPoetry
135 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1961
1 person is currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
André du Bouchet
66 books13 followersAndré du Bouchet (April 7, 1924 – April 19, 2001) was a French poet.
Born in Paris, André du Bouchet lived in France until 1941 when his family left occupied Europe for the United States. He studied comparative literature first at Amherst College and then at Harvard University. After teaching for a year, he returned to France. Here Du Bouchet became friends with the poets Pierre Reverdy, René Char, and Francis Ponge, and with the painters Pierre Tal-Coat and Alberto Giacometti.
Du Bouchet was one of the precursors of what would come to be called "poésie blanche" or "white poetry." In 1956, he published a collection of poems entitled Le Moteur blanc or "The White Motor". In 1966, he, along with (among others) Yves Bonnefoy, Jacques Dupin, Louis-René des Forêts and Gaëtan Picon, founded the poetry revue L'Ephémère. Twenty issues were published from 1966 to 1973.
In 1961, Du Bouchet's first major poetry collection, Dans la chaleur vacante, was published to critical acclaim and he won the Prix de la critique (the Critic's Prize) for that year.
He also wrote art criticism, most notably about the works of Nicolas Poussin, Hercules Seghers, Tal-Coat, Bram van Velde and Giacometti, and translated works by Paul Celan, Hölderlin, Osip Mandelstam, Boris Pasternak, Laura Riding, William Faulkner, Shakespeare and James Joyce.
In 1983 he won the National Poetry Prize or "Prix national de la poésie".
André du Bouchet died in 2001 at the age of 76, in Truinas, Drôme department of France.
...
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3...]
Born in Paris, André du Bouchet lived in France until 1941 when his family left occupied Europe for the United States. He studied comparative literature first at Amherst College and then at Harvard University. After teaching for a year, he returned to France. Here Du Bouchet became friends with the poets Pierre Reverdy, René Char, and Francis Ponge, and with the painters Pierre Tal-Coat and Alberto Giacometti.
Du Bouchet was one of the precursors of what would come to be called "poésie blanche" or "white poetry." In 1956, he published a collection of poems entitled Le Moteur blanc or "The White Motor". In 1966, he, along with (among others) Yves Bonnefoy, Jacques Dupin, Louis-René des Forêts and Gaëtan Picon, founded the poetry revue L'Ephémère. Twenty issues were published from 1966 to 1973.
In 1961, Du Bouchet's first major poetry collection, Dans la chaleur vacante, was published to critical acclaim and he won the Prix de la critique (the Critic's Prize) for that year.
He also wrote art criticism, most notably about the works of Nicolas Poussin, Hercules Seghers, Tal-Coat, Bram van Velde and Giacometti, and translated works by Paul Celan, Hölderlin, Osip Mandelstam, Boris Pasternak, Laura Riding, William Faulkner, Shakespeare and James Joyce.
In 1983 he won the National Poetry Prize or "Prix national de la poésie".
André du Bouchet died in 2001 at the age of 76, in Truinas, Drôme department of France.
...
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3...]
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July 14, 2020
Skal være et av de viktigste verkene i fransk etterkrigspoesi. Mmmhh..? Gav meg lite, dessverre.
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