The Penguin Book of French Poetry: 1820-1950--With Prose Translations - Paperback

by Various (Author), William Rees (Selected by), William Rees (Translator)

This collection illuminates the uniquely fascinating era between 1820 and 1950 in French poetry--a time in which diverse aesthetic ideas conflicted and converged as poetic forms evolved at an astonishing pace. It includes generous selections from all the established giants--among them Baudelaire, Verlaine, Rimbaud and Breton--as well as works from a wide variety of less well-known poets such as Claudel and Cendrars, whose innovations proved vital to the progress of poetry in France. The significant literary schools of the time are also represented in sections focusing on such movements as Romanticism, Symbolism, Cubism and Surrealism. Eloquent and inspirational, this rich and exhilarating anthology reveals an era of exceptional vitality.

Back Jacket

William Rees gives us an introduction to each poet, his or her life, affinities and aesthetics, and the significant literary movements. His fresh and beautiful prose translations will re-open many half-forgotten doors, and stimulate new enthusiasms.

Author Biography

William Rees grew up in Swansea and was educated at the Bishop Gore Grammar School. After graduating from U. C. W. Aberystwyth he continued his studies in French literature and theatre at the University of Exeter and then at St. Catherine's College, Oxford. Since 1975 he has taught French and Theatre Studies at Eton College, where he is a House Master.