The Act and the Place of Poetry：Selected Essays

TheonlycollectionofYvesBonnefoy'scriticisminEnglish,thisvolumeoffersacoherentstatementofpoeticphilosophyandintent--aclearexpressionofthevaluesandconvictionsoftheFrenchpoetwhommanycriticsregardasthemostimportantandinfluentialofourtime.TheIntroductiontouchesonmanyoftheessays'concerns,includingBonnefoy'srecoursetomoralandreligiouscategories,hisparticularuseofSaussure'sdistinctionbetween"langue"and"parole,"hisearlyfascinationwithSurrealism,andhisviewoftranslationas"ametaphysicalandmoralexperiment."Theessays,publishedoveranearlythirty-yearspan,respondtooneanother,themorerecentpiecestakingupforrenewedconsiderationideasdevelopedinearliermeditations,therebyprovidingthevolumewithintegrityandcompleteness.AmongthesubjectsaddressedintheseessaysaretheFrenchpoetictradition,theartoftranslation,andtheworksofShakespeare,ofwhichBonnefoyisthepreeminentFrenchtranslator.