For As Far as the Eye Can See

(Paperback)

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Description

In the 144 poems of For as Far as the Eye Can See, Robert Melanon re-imagines the sonnet as a "rectangle of twelve lines," and poetry as "a monument as fragile as the grass." Impressionistic, seasonal, allusive, in language sharp and clean, this form-driven collection is both a book of hours and a measured meditation on art, nature, and the vagaries of perception.
Robert Melanon is one of Qubecs most revered contemporary poets and a two-time winner of the Governor Generals Award. A longtime translator of Canadian poet A.M. Klein, Melanon has been the poetry columnist for Le Devoir and the Radio-Canada program En Toutes Lettres; he is also a critic and has been a professor at the University of Montreal. In addition to the Governor General's Award he is a past recipient of the Prix Victor-Barbeau and the Prix Alain-Grandbois.

Reviews

"Judith Cowan's graceful translation of Robert Melancon's For as Far as the Eye Can See packs 144 striking and meditative sonnets into one small volume. Melancon's work is rich and deceptively simple: "Let's lift our faces to this October sunlight, and close our eyes; at once we'll share/the entirely philosophical well-being of the cat/who's stretched out in the grass." It's a welcome introduction to one of Quebec's major poets."--The Globe & Mail "One hundred forty-four poems of acute observation: Melancon's invention is impressive. Judith Cowan's rendering of the poet's work into English is adroit and fully idiomatic."-- Montreal Review of Books "Poetry, in Melancon's hands, is a way of seeing." -- GoodReports.net

Author Bio

Robert Melancon is one of Quebec's most revered contemporary poets and a two-time winner of the Governor General's Award. A longtime translator of Canadian poet A.M. Klein, Melancon has been the poetry columnist for Le Devoir and the Radio-Canada program En Toutes Lettres; he is also a critic and has been a professor at the University of Montreal. In addition to the Governor General's Award he is a past recipient of the Prix Victor-Barbeau and the Prix Alain-Grandbois. Judith Cowan was born in Nova Scotia, but grew up in Toronto. She received a Ph. D. in Canadian Comparative Literature from L'Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec, and went on to teach literature in English at L'Universite du Quebec a Trois-Riveres until the end of the twentieth century. Her stories have appeared in a number of literary magazines, including Quarry Magazine, Queen's Quarterly, The Malahat Review, The Fiddlehead, and The Antigonish Review. In French translation, they have also been published in Liberte, XYZ : la revue de la nouvelle, and L'Atelier du Roman (Paris). She was one of the original contributors to Ellipse magazine, where she has published English translations of individual poems by many Quebec poets. She is the only English-language writer in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.