Description
Book SynopsisWhen Valerie Rouzeau's first poem sequence was published in France a decade ago under the title "Pas Revoir", it met with immediate critical acclaim. These poems are an urgent, stammered lament for her dead father, a scrap-merchant, in which the poet's adult voice and that of the little girl she used to be combine in an extraordinary blend of baby-talk, youthful slang, coinages and puns - a breathless delivery of tremendous power. The influential poet and critic Andre Velter has described Rouzeau's poetry as 'violent in its capacity to exalt and disturb'. This quality comes to the fore in Susan Wicks' remarkable translation, the excellence and ingenuity of which, in Stephen Romer's words at the conclusion of his introduction to this volume, 'make good the transposition of this pure and singular voice into English'.
Table of ContentsSeries Editor's note, Translator's preface, Introduction. Toi mourant / You dying Serrements de mains / Handshakes all well Neige les yeux rouges / Snow when your eyes are red Mon pere son camion / My dad his lorry Ils ont shoote / When they were ten Parmi tout / In the middle La neige a ses reves / The snow has dreams Ce n'est pas quand / It isn't when Une fourmi / An ant La plantee / Stuck there Les roses / The roses Rien a mettre / Nothing to wear Nous n'irons plus / We won't go Le hangar / The shed Mon pere / My father De dans la chambre / With in the room Papa dire papa / Tell me, daddy dear Je ne porte pas / I don't wear Parmi la dinette en morceaux / Among my little sister julie's C'est une colle / It's a sticky one Un drap blanc / A white flag Miroir dis-moi voir / Mirror just let me see Tartines beurrees / Butter-frosted Te parler papa / Talk to you dad Le ciel se danse / The sky's up on its pedals Les pommes d'or / The golden summer apples Vieux vieux papiers / Old old papers Tu n'ecoutes plus / You never listen Ton fauteuil / Your armchair Ca va quand on demande / Okay when people ask Ca fait deux / And that makes two M'endors seule / Doze off alone De la cabine / From the cab Papa ca va / Daddy how goes it Dans le journal / In the paper Le temps toque coucou / Time crazy cuckoo Ou mon pere / Where my father Le ciel tout bleu / The sky all blue Ma mere rougit / My mother blushes Gerbes gerbes / Sprays of flowers Ce n'est toujours pas toi / It's still not you La robe en jean bleue de travail / Blue denim working dress Froid le ciment / Cold the cement Arrive un air / Here comes a tune Ma mere prend la photo / My mother takes the photo Je monte l'eau / I take the water Mon pere avait sa phenix maison / My father had his phoenix house Savoir ca voir rien / Knowing no wing Toi pendant ta balade / You on your walk II y a des echelles / Scales of things Mon pere mon pere / My father my father Ils font leur bruit de manger / They make their family eating noise Sur le toit de l'hospice On the nursing-home roof Le reve a Kenichie Horie / The dream Kenichi Horie had Pleut sur les fleurs / Raining on the flowers Suis debout dans ta ruelle / Standing beside your bed Du temps du moment / From the time Au bout d'un fil d'araignee / At the end of a cobweb Ma grand-mere epluche / My grandmother's peeling Le voisin matinal / The morning neighbour's On trouvait de quoi / We'd find something Bledine et champe / Cereal and champers C'est le meme vieil oiseau / It's the same old crock Les roses les roses / Roses roses Je t'ecrivais / I'd write you Ne plus tenir debout / Dead on my feet Prenant chez meme cafe / Coffee at gran's Juillet a rassembler / July spent bunching together Le camion rutilant / The gleaming lorry Ta belle tete / Your lovely head Les mains si froides / Your hands so cold Ce que devient ton cA ur / What becomes of your heart II ne t'encolere pas / It doesn't make you cross De l'escargot / Of the snail J'ai mis mes chaussures de marcheuse / I put on my walker's shoes Mon pere qu'on opera / My dad they operated on J'amene des fleurs / I bring flowers Les yeux tout sales / Eyes all dirty fingers Ma main la posee / My hand there resting End Notes, Biographical Notes.
