Future, Former, Fugitive

by Olivier Cadiot

Poetry. Translated from the French by Cole Swensen. A shipwreck. A desert Island. A Robinson. And the fragile line between memory and invention. A child's game. A bird guide. And step-by-step instructions for becoming a saint. In short, all you need to survive. This is a survivor's tale, complete with the doubt and derision that always greets such unusual cases. "Shh! Don't tell! Robinson Crusoe [or dead ringer] meets Comedy Francaise [division of poetry] in Cole Swensen's effervescent ["that's it exactly it"] translation of. Cadiot's witty. and majestice [don't take my word for it], yet stark FUTURE, FORMER, FUGITIVE. Find out what Paris already knows but holds tight to its tongue [best on bagatelle]: poetry is not safe with Cadiot at large"--Charles Bernstein. See also Cadiot's RED, GREEN & BLACK and ART POETIC', now available from SPD.

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993