Description
Book SynopsisIn the 144 poems of For as Far as the Eye Can See, Robert Melancon re-imagines the sonnet as a "rectangle of twelve lines," and poetry as "a monument as fragile as the grass." Impressionistic, seasonal, allusive, in language sharp and clean, this form-driven collection is both a book of hours and a measured meditation on art, nature, and the vagaries of perception. Robert Melancon is one of Quebec's most revered contemporary poets and a two-time winner of the Governor General's Award. A longtime translator of Canadian poet A.M. Klein, Melancon has been the poetry columnist for Le Devoir and the Radio-Canada program En Toutes Lettres; he is also a critic and has been a professor at the University of Montreal. In addition to the Governor General's Award he is a past recipient of the Prix Victor-Barbeau and the Prix Alain-Grandbois.
Trade Review"Judith Cowan's graceful translation of Robert Melancon's For as Far as the Eye Can See packs 144 striking and meditative sonnets into one small volume. Melancon's work is rich and deceptively simple: "Let's lift our faces to this October sunlight, and close our eyes; at once we'll share/the entirely philosophical well-being of the cat/who's stretched out in the grass." It's a welcome introduction to one of Quebec's major poets."--The Globe & Mail "One hundred forty-four poems of acute observation: Melancon's invention is impressive. Judith Cowan's rendering of the poet's work into English is adroit and fully idiomatic."-- Montreal Review of Books "Poetry, in Melancon's hands, is a way of seeing." -- GoodReports.net
Table of ContentsFor As Far As the Eye Can See is comprised of 144 numbered poems.
