Women's Poetry in France, 1965–1995

by Michael Bishop

As the first North American anthology of French women’s poetry ever published, Women’s Poetry in France, 1965–1995 can radically open and alter our perception of recent French poetry. Michael Bishop’s translations capture the distinctive voices of these twenty-eight poets, including such well-known writers as Anne-Marie Albiach, Andrée Chedid, and Marguerite Duras, as well as others who had been unjustly neglected even in their own country. Bishop’s translations free the poems themselves to justify their place, not only in this bilingual volume but also in the realm of international poetry.

Genres: Poetry

414 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1997

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Reviews

[W.B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did discover some poets whose books I will seek out. Strange to see (beloved) Duras in here as a poet, but okay. She's almost always at least as good as the best poetry and often better. The editor did all the translations, so there's that. Perhaps not surprisingly, the range of strategies adopted by francophone poets mirrors exactly those adopted by anglophone poets in that period. You could easily find analogs in English (mostly experimental) poetry for each one of these poets. I assigned myself that exercise while reading the anthology, and it was amazing how easy this was to do and how well the writers paired up across the Atlantic. Perhaps there has not been a new thing under the sun in poetry for a while.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of women's poetry in French, the French on one page, the English on the facing page. This book exposed to more interesting vocabulary since I was really bored with what I was getting with Duo-Lingo.