The first full-length English translation of this celebrated French
poet offers a penetrating and encompassing collection touching on
death, domesticity, nature, language itself, and--always--the
body.French literary icon Marie-Claire Bancquart (1932-2019) is
known for an uncanny inhabitation of the concrete, finding whole
worlds, even afterlives, in daily instances and spaces. "If I could
seize a little nothing / a bit of nothing," she muses, "all things
would come to me / those that dance / in its cloth." The tiniest
moments can be acts of utterance, defiance, communion, and
immortality. Yet death does indeed appear in the everyday, though
it's more than a fact of existence. It is fiction as well, small
cunning stories we create so we're not merely waiting for it: "one
sets / close by / the pot of orange flowers / the here and now / to
block the view."Here, the infinitesimal has no end; the smaller
life gets, the deeper and more carefully Bancquart has us pause to
notice its offerings. Though for her "the body" is the surest, most
trustworthy way of knowing, the mystery of language is often
referenced, and reverenced. And translator Jody Gladding, an
award-winning poet herself, beautifully carries forward Bancquart's
lifetime of distinctive work. Every Minute Is First is lean, lucid
yet philosophical poetry, reflecting visceral life and experiential
thought, walking in the dark with a light, lighting words--or
alighting on them--in their own incandescent power to make the
long-lived journey meaningful.
General
Imprint: |
Milkweed Editions
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
March 2024 |
Authors: |
Marie-Claire Bancquart
|
Translators: |
Jody Gladding
|
Dimensions: |
215 x 139mm (L x W) |
Pages: |
128 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-63955-090-6 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-63955-090-9 |
Barcode: |
9781639550906 |
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