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| Original Title: | Paroles |
| ISBN: | 2070367622 (ISBN13: 9782070367627) |
| Edition Language: | French |
Jacques Prévert
Mass Market Paperback | Pages: 254 pages Rating: 4.26 | 6113 Users | 133 Reviews
Be Specific About Containing Books Paroles
| Title | : | Paroles |
| Author | : | Jacques Prévert |
| Book Format | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 254 pages |
| Published | : | March 1st 1972 by Folio (first published June 5th 1949) |
| Categories | : | Poetry. Cultural. France. Classics. European Literature. French Literature. Literature. 20th Century. Fiction |
Interpretation As Books Paroles
This is Jacques Prévert's first collection of poems, published in 1946, and yet we can already appreciate the whole range of his fully developed skills and interests, perfectly displayed in this amazing masterpiece. Because Prévert achieved in poetry what Picasso achieved in art: the perfection of polymorphism. As the Spanish genius mastered any conceivable style and technique in visual art, Prévert ws able to explore any possible dimension of poetry: from his well-known politically committed realism (the grotesque description of a presidential dinner, in which intellectuals, politicians and wealthy industrialists are portayed as macabre puppets or masks reminding of J. Ensor's) to his famous odes to love, both physical ("Alicante", one of my faves) and lyrically pure ("Cet Amour", This Love); from his funny puns with erotic undertones to the merciless 'j'accuse' denouncing the hypocrisy of the social, political and religious institutions of his - our - time (the ferocious, hilarious tale of the French worker who goes to Rome and meets the Pope). "Paroles" is the beginning of an intense relationship with the inner truth of Life, the naive curiosity of a man walking around and looking at the people, the houses, the changing landscape of a city he identifies with the whole world in an almost pantheistic sense of empathy. War was over in 1946, after having scattered its load of material and human debris all over the world... layer upon layer. The city was being enthusiastically rebuilt, but the spiritual wounds of the people were still bleeding: loss, disenchantment, self-abasement, bewilderment. The poet perceives the latent violence permeating the world, a violence that goes far beyond the war and takes the shape of numberless abuses and acts of injustice. "L'Effort humain", Human Effort, is an elegy to the humble people of any time and nationality, men and women struggling to (re)build the world... and dying to be forgotten and replaced ("Chanson dans le sang", Song in Blood). Prévert's social commitment is not merely part of a political agenda: it's urgent and honest, an impulse from the depth of his soul as well as a declaration of his rational mind. It's not political, it's moral. Human. The poet is often classified as an atheist: quite unjustly so. Well, Prévert is certainly not a fervent believer - least of all a devoted follower of the Church, seen as anachronistic, superstitious and overtly repressive, walking hand in hand with so many evil powers of this world. But there's so much more than that in his so-called blasphemous attitude, something different and almost moving: the poet's atheism is indeed a tension toward a true spirituality, although entangled with his earthly affection for mankind (take his "Pater noster", for instance...); it's a dream of peace, a new childhood of the heart that he claims for in these wonderful poems of hope and sorrow. As always in Prévert, love is the only way out, the path leading to our redemption. Love in all its forms and intensity: body and soul. A love so shameless and pure that it transcends the boundaries of the individual, so that "Cet amour" culminates in what can be considered the ultimate (atheistic?) prayer of mankind: (...) 'I beg you For you for me for all who love each other And who loved each other Yes I cry out to it For you for me and for all the others That I don't know Stay here There where you are There where you were in the past Stay here Don't move Don't go away We who loved each other We've forgotten you Don't forget us We had only you on the earth Don't let us become cold Always so much farther away And anywhere Give us a sign of life Much later on a dark night In the forest of memory Appear suddenly Hold your hand out to us And save us.' Our relationships - their delights, regrets, expectations, disappointments; our bursts of passion, desire, tenderness... this is all that remains when grief, anger, selfishness, fear are wiped away and our eyes finally start seeing through the fog. That's the true community of mankind. Once again, poetry opens the door and lets us in.Rating Containing Books Paroles
Ratings: 4.26 From 6113 Users | 133 ReviewsJudgment Containing Books Paroles
Delightful poetry. On the surface it all appears very simple and direct, but a closer, thoughtful reading reveals incredible depth. From love and loss to the horrors of war, Prévert really delivers a fantastic account of wartime France. I often have a hard time with "modern" poetry in that I can't discern a metre or rhythm, and the form is often ignored entirely, but most of Prévert's work in this collection creates its own rhythm out of the repetitions and word selection - it's just delightful!Just like any poetry book, it takes just a little time to get in the author's rythm, and then it gets flowing.Not absolutely happy, not terribly sad, however there is passion and it is just "real".
If you don't own the City Lights Paroles, do yourself a favor and pick it up.He's right about Prevert's excesses and failures, and about his genius and relevance too.Ferlinghetti's translations are for the most part as lucent and as loosey-goosey as the originals in most cases.When Prevert chooses to be obtuse or clunky, Ferlinghetti respectfully follows.If you don't understand I'm not being bitchy with what I just wrote, you probably haven't read much Prevert.It's really the charm of the style;
A book of poetry might take a whole lifetime to read, bit by bit, line by line. so far I've read about twenty of its poems, but I won't be "currently reading" it non-stop, I go back to it sometimes. So let it be shelved as read.
This is Jacques Prévert's first collection of poems, published in 1946, and yet we can already appreciate the whole range of his fully developed skills and interests, perfectly displayed in this amazing masterpiece. Because Prévert achieved in poetry what Picasso achieved in art: the perfection of polymorphism. As the Spanish genius mastered any conceivable style and technique in visual art, Prévert ws able to explore any possible dimension of poetry: from his well-known politically committed
I really loved many of these poems. The ones that I didn't still had their merits. The darkest pieces which spoke of war, politics, bloodshed, etc. were powerful & brutally honest (in my opinion), which is an aspect of French poetry that I appreciate. The lighter poems that spoke of romantic & physical love & perspectives on life, etc. were also excellent. I wouod recommend this poetry to anyone who doesn't mind some social/political views within poems.
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