Ricochet: Word Sonnets - Sonnets d'un mot

by Seymour Mayne, Sabine Huynh (Translator)

Overview

Ricochet is a bilingual collection of word sonnets by one of the chief innovators of the form, Seymour Mayne. It includes three sequences of pithy and evocative poems that encapsulate moments of sharp perception while also drawing attention to instants of humour that suddenly appear in daily life.

Concise and visual in effect, word sonnets are fourteen line poems, with one word per line. Frequently allusive and imagistic, they can also be irreverent and playful. While informed by other short poetry forms such as the Haiku, Mayne’s word sonnets are deeply influenced by the Talmudic tradition of maxims, proverbs and images that instruct and inform everyday life.

Presented with an excellent translation of the poems into French, Ricochet is a unique volume that showcases this innovative new form. The collection also includes a short preface by the poet and an introductory essay by the translator on the challenges of translating word sonnets.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9782760319417
Publisher:	Les Presses de l'Université d'Ottawa
Publication date:	04/30/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	152
File size:	271 KB

About the Author

Seymour Mayne is the author, editor or translator of more than fifty books and monographs. His writings have been translated into many languages, including French, German, Hebrew, Polish, Russian, and Spanish. His latest collections include Light Industry (Mosaic Press, 2000), Ricochet: Word Sonnets (Mosaic Press, 2004), September Rain (Mosaic Press, 2005) and Les pluies de septembre (Éditions du Noroît, 2008), his selected poems translated into French by Pierre DesRuisseaux. He serves as Professor of Canadian Literature, Canadian Studies, and Creative Writing at the University of Ottawa.

 

Seymour Mayne a écrit, édité ou traduit plus de cinquante volumes et monographies. Ses écrits ont été traduits en plusieurs langues, dont le français, l’allemand, l’hébreu, le polonais, le russe et l’espagnol. Ses dernières publications comprennent Light Industry (Mosaic Press, 2000), Ricochet: Word Sonnets (Mosaic Press, 2004), September Rain (Mosaic Press, 2005); et Les pluies de septembre : poèmes choisis, traduit de l’anglais par Pierre DesRuisseaux (Éditions du Noroît, 2008). Il est professeur de littérature, de création littéraire et d’études canadiennes à l’Université d’Ottawa.

 

Sabine Huynh is a sociolinguist, translator, novelist, short story writer and poet who writes in both French and English. She has translated Uri Orlev and Richard Berengarten, among others. Her first novel, La Mer et l’enfant, will be published in France by Galaade Editions in 2012.

 

Sabine Huynh est sociolinguiste, traductrice, romancière, nouvelliste et poète. Elle écrit en français et en anglais. Elle a traduit Uri Orlev et Richard Berengarten, entre autres. Son premier roman, La Mer et l’enfant, sera publié en France par Galaade Editions en 2012.

Read an Excerpt

OMENS

Birds
script
the
auspicious
calligraphy
of
flight
as
they
arc,
link
sky
and
earth.

 

LES PRÉSAGES

Les
oiseaux
tracent
la
calligraphie
prometteue
du
vol,
ligne
courbe
unissant
ciel
et
terre.