Synopses & Reviews
An intimate portrait of one of Frances most important writers by his translator.
Edmond Jabès (1912-1991) is widely regarded as one of Frances most important writers of the 20th century. Born in Cairo, he settled in France after being expelled from Egypt with other Jews during the 1956 Suez Crisis. Rosmarie Waldrop is Jabèss primary English translator. Over the course of her long association and friendship with Jabès, Waldrop developed a very nuanced understanding of his work that in turn influenced her development as both writer and translator. Lavish Absence is a book-length essay with a triple focus: it is a memoir of Jabès as Waldrop knew him, it is both an homage to and an explication of Jabèss work, and it is a meditation on the process of translation. The writing interweaves these topics, evoking Jabèss own interest in the themes of exile and nomadism.
Review
"Lavish Absence is a comprehensive yet intimate introduction to the writing and thought of Edmond Jabès, a critical figure for 20th-century poetry and philosophy. It is also a welcome articulation of Rosmarie Waldrop's own poetics, which are among the most influential in contemporary American poetry." Charles Bernstein, Director of the Poetics Program, State University of New York at Buffalo
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 201-204).
Synopsis
Edmond Jabes (1912-1991) is widely regarded as one of France's most important writers of the 20th century. Born in Cairo, he settled in France after being expelled from Egypt with other Jews during the 1956 Suez Crisis. Rosmarie Waldrop is Jabes's primary English translator. Over the course of her long association and friendship with Jabes, Waldrop developed a very nuanced understanding of his work that in turn influenced her development as both writer and translator. Lavish Absence is a book-length essay with a triple focus: it is a memoir of Jabes as Waldrop knew him, it is both an homage to and an explication of Jabes's work, and it is a meditation on the process of translation. The writing interweaves these topics, evoking Jabes's own interest in the themes of exile and nomadism.