The Bestiary, or Procession of Orpheus

Erscheinungsjahr 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4214-0006-8
Verlag: Johns Hopkins University Press

Buch, Englisch, 96 Seiten, Format (B × H): 154 mm x 223 mm, Gewicht: 246 g

First Place, Large Not-for-Profit Publisher, Typographic Text, 2011 Washington Book Publishers Design and Effectiveness Awards

Guillaume Apollinaire’s first book of poems has charmed readers with its brief celebrations of animals, birds, fish, insects, and the mythical poet Orpheus since it was first published in 1911. Though Apollinaire would go on to longer and more ambitious work, his Bestiary reveals key elements of his later poetry, among them surprising images, wit, formal mastery, and wry irony.

X. J. Kennedy’s fresh translation follows Apollinaire in casting the poems into rhymed stanzas, suggesting music and sudden closures while remaining faithful to their sense. Kennedy provides the English alongside the original French, inviting readers to compare the two and appreciate the fidelity of the former to the latter. He includes a critical and historical essay that relates the Bestiary to its sources in medieval “creature books,” provides a brief biography and summation of the troubled circumstances surrounding the book’s initial publication, and places the poems in the context of Apollinaire’s work as a poet and as a champion of avant garde art.

This short introduction to the work of an essentially modern writer includes four curious poems apparently suppressed from the first edition and reprints of the Raoul Dufy woodcuts published in the 1911 edition.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Apollinaire, Guillaume

Weitere Mitwirkende

Kennedy, X J

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literaturwissenschaft: Lyrik und Dichter
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Romanische Literaturen Französische Literatur

Inhaltsverzeichnis

A Natural History of the Poet: Apollinaire's Mythic Zoology
About This Translation
The Bestiary, or Procession of Orpheus
Orpheus
Tortoise
Horse
Tibetan Goat
Serpent
Cat
Lion
Hare
Rabbit
Dromedary
Mouse
Elephant
Orpheus
Caterpillar
Housefly
Flea
Grasshopper
Orpheus
Dolphin
Devilfish
Jellyfish
Carp
Orpheus
Sirens
Dove
Peacock
Owl
Ibis
Ox
Four Deleted Poems
Condor
Carb Louse
Ape
Spider
Notes
About the Translator

Über Autor(innen)

Kennedy, X J
X. J. Kennedy has written poetry, children's verse, and fiction as well as textbooks on writing and literature. Before becoming a full-time writer, he taught at the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina–Greensboro, Tufts University, Wellesley College, the University of California–Irvine, and Leeds University. He now lives in Lexington, Massachusetts, with his wife and sometime coauthor, Dorothy M. Kennedy.

X. J. Kennedy has written poetry, children's verse, and fiction as well as textbooks on writing and literature. Before becoming a full-time writer, he taught at the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina–Greensboro, Tufts University, Wellesley College, the University of California–Irvine, and the University of Leeds. He now lives in Lexington, Massachusetts, with his wife and sometime coauthor, Dorothy M. Kennedy.