Apollinaire in the Great War 1914-18 - Brossura

Draskau, Jennifer Kewley; Hunter, David

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0720616018 ISBN 13: 9780720616019

Casa editrice: Peter Owen Ltd, 2015

Riassunto

A major literary figure in pre-war Paris, Guillaume Apollinaire volunteered for war in 1914, trained as an artilleryman and was posted in April 1915 to the Champagne front in northern France, participating in the bloody but little-known offensive that September and then moving into the front line as an infantry officer, before being wounded in March 1916 and invalided out of active service. Back in Paris, Apollinaire plunged back into the activities of the capital’s artistic avant-garde, meanwhile publishing poetry, prose and plays that were deeply influenced by his involvement in the conflict. He died on 9 November 1918, two days before the Armistice, a victim of the influenza pandemic, but with a literary reputation secured, as well as a certain fame for coining the term ‘Surrealism’. This book draws heavily on Apollinaire’s writings to tell the story of his war years, within the wider context of the French experience of the Great War. In this period, Apollinaire also wrote hundreds of letters, the bulk of them to two women: Louise de Coligny, a flighty socialite of aristocratic origin, and Madeleine Pagčs, a young schoolteacher. In these letters he poured out his passionate feelings for both in often highly erotic poetry and prose, as well as giving detailed descriptions of his life as a front-line soldier.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

Hunter's book is an engrossing combination of military history, biography and cultural analysis that offers a lucid portrait of an artist in both love and war. --Independent

L'autore:

Jennifer Kewley Draskau is a prize-winning author, poet, playwright. Her publications include work on language, translation and Sylvia Plath. A broadcaster, journalist, lecturer, her previous jobs have included ranch hand, cat- walk model, fashion editor, youth orchestra leader, dressage judge. David Hunter is a graduate in French and History from Oxford University and the author of Understanding French Verse: A Guide for Singers. Each year he joins a group of scholars and enthusiasts in Paris on the anniversary of Apollinaire’s death in order to commemorate him and celebrate his poetry. He is also a board member of The Rimbaud and Verlaine Foundation, recently established in London.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Peter Owen Ltd
• Data di pubblicazione: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0720616018
• ISBN 13: 9780720616019
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 256