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Robert Desnos
Desnos is my favorite poet. Even though I can find relatively little of his poetry translated into English, he speaks to me over the spaces of time and ocean. Thanks to this book, I know something of his life and death; he is more amazing than I ever dreamed.I discovered him in grad school years ago, and he has always been the benchmark for me as a poet. I occasionally might stray into the great poet lands of Eastern Europe or South American, but I ALWAYS come home to Paris where Desnos will be leaning against a stone wall, cigarette hanging out of his mouth ready to teach me something new. I'm convinced that he would have loved coming home to Paris in a Czech cocktail shaker. I will be on the lookout for more books by Conley.

new surrealism
Conley's beautifully written and carefully researched intellectual biography of Desnos provides a radically new approach not just to this singular poet but also the the French surrealist movement which he helped to found.The most moving chapter in this emotionally rich book reviews Desnos's last poem, thought to have been written while the poet was incarcerated in a Nazi concentration camp.Conley provides a startlingly new history of this poem's composition.Other chapters introduce Desnos's extravagant loves in relation to his poetry, describe his spontaneous lapses into automatic poetry, and chronicle his subversive contributions to the French Resistance both as a poet and as a fighter.This book provides great insight into the beginning of the twentieth century in Europe even as it details the works of one of this period's singular figures.

micro-type
the type used in this intriguing, much awaited book is so small that reading it is truly discouraging. why, why why???? ruin such an effort! ... Read more

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A BOOK! FAR TOO LONG UNTRANSLATED!WHY NOT READ IT?
liberty or love! smells like boiling tunafish and sounds like drowning puppy dogs and its eyes look like theyve spent the night striking matches on themselves and its gaze dunks everything it sees in mollasses. how couldone of the greatest surrealist texts go almost 70 years before beingtranslated into english? this book is better than bretons two novels andbetter than soupalts last night of paris. so there. the one problem i hadwith this book, a book that throws out the constricting conventions oftypical literature, was that the glue that sticks all the bizarre scenestogether is the worst stalest convention of them all, the pursuit of themuse in the form of an ellusive woman. blahhh. easy to look past though.especially when there are such unforgetably shocking passages as The SpermDrinkers Club. ... Read more

Product Description
Edited with an introduction and extensive essays by Mary Ann Caws. Translators include: Mary Ann Caws, Terry Hale, Martin Sorrell, Bill Zavatsky, Jonathan Eburne, Timothy Ades, Patricia Terry, Katharine Conley, and Paul Auster. This is the most comprehensive anthology of the writings of Robert Desnos to be assembled into the English language. The extensive poetry section is bilingual. Includes poetry, manifestos, novels, cinema writings, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent compilation! Finally a good one volume Desnos book in English.
This is a very welcome and valuable addition to introduce Anglophone readers to Robert Desnos. Excerpts from novels, film script scenarios,manifestos, an extensive bi-lingual poetry section with various translators, and a very comprehensive essay on Desnos and his importance within Surrealism by Mary Ann Caws help present a well rounded view of Desnos. And it is about time someone has done so. I would also recommend Desnos' two novels published by Atlas Pres, UK (excerpts reprinted in this anthology), and the very good biography of Desnos by Katherine Conley. Desnos was one of the most important contributors to the Surrealist group around Andre Breton during the golden age of Surrealism in the 1920's. ... Read more

Product Description
In the 60 years since his death, the great French surrealist poet Robert Desnos has become one of the most accomplished lyricists of the 20th century.His name has become synonymous with artistic, personal, and political freedom.He was the last of the Romantics, and the most passionate. ... Read more

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"No, love is not dead in this heart and in these eyes and in this mouth"
This is a beautiful introduction to the poetry of Robert Desnos. His work displays the stunning imagery & dazzling wordplay of his fellow Surrealists, as might be expected ... but his is a distinctly passionate voice, one that holds nothing back in its declarations of yearning & love. Yet his work never descends even remotely into vague mushiness or greeting card blandness. Within a single line, he can be swooning & agonizing over love, without ever losing his considerable intellect, literary knowledge, and wicked wit -- no small feat!

To my mind, Desnos is one of the most humanly engaging of the Surrealists. His poetry will touch you -- a touch that can be a sensual caress, a sizzling jolt of electricity, a bold communion of two people through words. Most highly recommended!

The Hidden Voice....
it's sad how many people/writers don't know the work of robert desnos.one of the greatest poetical voices of the 1900's.not only is his poetry great, his life (and how he sacrificed) is a beautiful story. ... Read more

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A Great Introduction to a Brave, Funny Poet
Mary Ann Caws, with her unique gift for drawing the reader willingly into her discoveries, is an invaluable scholar of Surrealism. In clear language, she unfolds and expands for us the imaginative realm of this man, who must be the most hilarious, poignant, and plain-spoken of the Surrealist poets. In Caws's hands, Desnos's unique brand of black humor--dare we say gallows optimism--is rendered all the more poignant by his use of it as a form of resistance against the Nazis, and ultimately in the face of his own death. This is a must-read for anyone interested in Desnos, and for all readers who, whether or not they like "poetry" (this is not the poetry that they pushed on you in school), are looking for a romantic vision that is not sappy, and who want to find a heroic figure that is credible in our modern era.

the only book of criticism on desnos in english
this is the only critical work on desnos in english to date. highly recommended for anyone interested in studying this amazing poet. caws goes into detail about desnos' symbols and language, and provides a good collection of the various periods of desnos' work both in poetry and prose. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

completely, utterly, distractingly fascinating
Perhaps the most underrated, overlooked poet ever, Desnos' work is not only superior to the Frost/Coleridge/etc. you read in high school, but is also infinitely greater than that of Breton and the other surrealists,establishing the modern paradigm of poetic imagination. No other poetreally comes close, except for the great Jeremy Reed (try Red-HairedAndroid to see what I mean). Warm, humane, and oh-so-brilliant, Desnos'poetry is absolutely, endlessly, mind-alteringly fascinating. Kudos toCarolyn Forche and William Kulik for bringing his work in such afully-realized form to this side of the Atlantic.

Valuable
A great collection of translations from one of the best surrealist poets. A well presented book with a intriguing introduction. ... Read more