Carnet Égyptien

by Giuseppe Ungaretti, Philippe Jacottet

“ Le Cahier égyptien contient, cachées au détour de phrases à la grâce labyrinthique comme les rues des villes qu’elles décrivent, ou ondoyantes comme les dunes du désert et rendues ici par une traduction admirable, les clés les plus secrètes de la poétique d’Ungaretti.” Ainsi J.Y. Masson résume-t-il ce “carnet d’un retour au pays natal” qu’Ungaretti, suivant en cela les traces de Nerval et de Flaubert, rédigea en 1931 comme une sorte de reportage pour la Gazzetta del popolo . 67 ans plus tard, c’est aussi un fascinant document sur un Orient qu’on croirait à jamais disparu, mais qu’Anna Boguighian, qui vit au Caire depuis dix ans, a su retrouver en une douzaine de dessins saisis sur le vif.

106 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Giuseppe Ungaretti was an Italian modernist poet, journalist, essayist, critic and academic. A leading representative of the experimental trend known as ermetismo, he was one of the most prominent contributors to 20th century Italian literature. Influenced by symbolism, he was briefly aligned with futurism. Like many futurists, he took an irredentist position during World War I. Ungaretti debuted as a poet while fighting in the trenches, publishing one of his best-known pieces, L'allegria ("The Joy").

During the interwar period, Ungaretti was a collaborator of Benito Mussolini (whom he met during his socialist accession), as well as a foreign-based correspondent for Il Popolo d'Italia and La Gazzetta del Popolo. While briefly associated with the Dadaists, he developed ermetismo as a personal take on poetry. After spending several years in Brazil, he returned home during World War II, and was assigned a teaching post at the University of Rome, where he spent the final decades of his life and career. Ungaretti's Fascist past was the subject of controversy.